|
LOS
ANGELES—Indiana Jones unearthed box-office gold at
domestic theaters with a performance that puts the film
on track to become the second biggest Memorial Day movie
opening ever, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The
fourth installment of the whip-cracking professor’s
exploits, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
Crystal Skull grossed an estimated $101 million from
Friday to Sunday, plus $25 million from its opening
Thursday, distributor Paramount Pictures said. The
company expects it to earn another $25 million on
Monday.
That
would put it behind only Pirates of the Caribbean: At
World’s End, which had a Friday-through-Monday total
of $139.8 million, in the pantheon of Memorial Day
weekend blockbusters.
Including Thursday’s receipts, Indiana Jones was
expected to collect $151 million over five days,
slightly behind Pirates, which took in $153
million with a partial Thursday included.
“Indiana
Jones did incredibly well for a film that comes 19
years after the previous installment,” said Paul
Dergarabedian, president of tracking firm Media By
Numbers Llc. The adventure flick received a lackluster
reception from critics at the Cannes Film Festival, but
audiences thought otherwise.
Box
office estimates grew from $25 million on its opening
Thursday through $37 million on Saturday, suggesting
strong word of mouth, Dergarabedian said.
“This is
the definition of a summer movie from two of the
architects of the summer movie season—George Lucas and
Steven Spielberg,” he said. “These guys have it down to
a science and audiences want to go along for that ride.”
The
first three Indy movies took in $1.2-billion worldwide.
Disney’s
action sequel, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince
Caspian, slipped to second place with $23 million,
for a total of $91.1 million over two weeks. The company
expected the movie to continue to play well as school
lets out.
“Once
you start getting the mass number of kids out of school,
it turns into some serious money,” said Chuck Viane,
president of distribution for Walt Disney Studios Motion
Pictures.
Marvel
Studios’ Iron Man clinched another $20.1 million,
bringing its domestic total to $252.3 million. A sequel
is set for release in 2010.
The 20th
Century Fox comedy, What Happens in Vegas,
continued to roll with $9 million in its third week, for
a total of $54.2 million.
Fox
senior vice president Bert Livingstone said high-gas
prices were encouraging people to see movies rather than
take long trips away from home.
“This is
the last great bargain,” Livingstone said.
But
movie receipts were about 16-percent smaller than last
year’s Memorial Day weekend, and revenue for the year to
date is down nearly 4 percent at $3.3 billion, with
attendance off nearly seven percent.
By this
time last year, there were seven movies that grossed
over $100 million: Pirates, Shrek the Third,
Spider-Man 3, 300, Wild Hogs, Blades of Glory and
Ghost Rider, according to Media By Numbers. This
year, there are only three: Iron Man, Dr. Seuss’
Horton Hears a Who! and
Indiana Jones.
“It’s no
wonder that we’re down in terms of revenues and
attendance,” Dergarabedian said. “You don’t get out of a
deficit like this overnight.”
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US
and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers
LLC.
1.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $101
million.
2. The
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, $23 million.
3. Iron
Man, $20.1 million.
4. What
Happens in Vegas, $9 million.
5. Speed
Racer, $4 million.
6. Made
of Honor, $3.4 million.
7. Baby
Mama, $3.3 million.
8.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $1.7 million.
9.
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantánamo Bay, $900,000.
10. The
Visitor, $800,000.
--AP |
