Sony’s Vegas flick 21 scored a victory on Universal’s Leatherheads and 20th Century Fox’s Nim’s Island at the weekend box office.
The George Clooney-Renee Zellweger period comedy Leatherheads (which chronicles the early days of football) managed to bring in an estimated $13.5 million from 2,769 theaters for the No. 2 spot with Nim’s Island right on its heels with an estimated $13.3 million from 3,513 theaters.
21 (which follows a group of students taking down Vegas casinos with their professor) dropped 37% but still hauled in an estimated $15.1 million from 2,653 locations.
Universal had predicted Leatherheads would claim the No. 1 spot thanks to Clooney’s involvement as star and director.
In Variety, Universal prexy of distribution Nikki Rocco stated: “The results are less than we hoped for. The movie is a fun ride, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. George Clooney is a great director, and I think they came for him. I’m disappointed for him.”
Rocco continued: “Having said that, there is a lot going on. I do think the basketball playoffs hurt attendance in the big cities. What really upsets me is the level of overall business.”
The strong placing for Nim’s Island helped give a boost to Fox-Walden, and gave the studio its second family title in the top five. The film is the third release from the Fox and Walden Media partnership for family films. Their first release, The Seeker: The Dark is Rising, grossed an estimated $8.8 million following a $3.7 million opening. The second release, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, grossed an estimated $32 million after a $9.6 million opening
In Variety Fox senior VP of distribution Chris Aronson stated: “‘Nim’s’ was an island oasis for family audiences. If you have a quality family film with an appealing storyline and an appealing cast, there will always be a market for it.”
DreamWorks/Paramount’s new horror film The Ruins took in a light $7.8 million from 2,812 locations. Martin Scorsese’s concert documentary, Shine A Light, about the Rolling Stones grossed an estimated $1.5 million from 276 locations (93 of those being large format Imax theaters). Paramount Classics has not announced plans to expand the film to more theaters.
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who took the No. 4 spot with a 49% decrease. The film brought in an estimated $9.1 million and has grossed an estimated $131 million domestically.
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