'Cast Away' Starts New Year on Top
L O S A N G E L E S, Jan. 1, 2001 -- Tom Hanks entered the newmillennium as the most popular star at the North American boxoffice, selling about $41.5 million worth of tickets to hisdesert island drama Cast Away during the four-day New Year’sholiday weekend.
According to studio estimates issued today, Twentieth Century Fox’s Cast Awayhas pulled in $111.2 million from movie theaters acrossthe United States and Canada after two weekends at No. 1. Itpassed the century mark Sunday, its 10th day of release.
Also hitting a ton was Mel Gibson’s What Women Want(Paramount), which held steady at No. 2 with $25.4 million forthe Friday-to-Monday period. The romantic comedy has grossed$114.8 million after three weekends; it reached $100 millionSaturday, its 16th day.
Hanks plays a plane crash survivor stranded on a SouthPacific desert island for four years, while Gibson plays amacho ad exec who can suddenly read women’s thoughts. TwentiethCentury Fox is a unit of Fox Entertainment Group Inc. Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc.
Snowstorms Hurt Ticket Sales
The Sandra Bullock comedy Miss Congeniality made goodheadway toward $100 million as it jumped two places to No. 3 inits second weekend with ticket sales of $18.2 million. After 11days, the Warner Bros. film has pulled in $45.3 million.Bullock plays an FBI agent who goes undercover at a beautypageant. Warner Bros. Pictures is a unit of Time Warner Inc.
Snowstorms in the Northeast hurt ticket sales, studioexecutives said. Warner Bros. Distribution President DanFellman estimated "Miss Congeniality" could have pulled in anadditional $1 million if not for the bad weather.
One-quarter of the 162 theaters showing 10th-rankedCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon were in Boston, New York andPhiladelphia, said Sony Pictures Classics spokesman TomPrassis. Director Ang Lee’s Mandarin-language martial artsromance grossed $4.7 million, taking its 26-day haul to $13.6million. The studio is a unit of Sony Corp.
Rounding out the top five were the Nicolas Cage romanticcomedy The Family Man (Universal), which slipped one place toNo. 4 with $16.8 million, and the Walt Disney Pictures cartoonThe Emperor’s New Groove, which rose one place to No. 5 with$14.5 million. Their respective totals are $43.2 million aftertwo weekends and $50.6 million after three weekends. Universal Pictures is a unit of Vivendi Universal, and Walt Disney Pictures is a unit of Walt DisneyCo., which is also the parent company of ABCNEWS.com.
Some Strong Showings for Limited Releases
Opening at No. 11 with $4.3 million was director Billy BobThornton’s Western romance All the Pretty Horses, starringMatt Damon and rising Spanish beauty Penelope Cruz. Theaudience was primarily aged 25 and over, said Miramax Filmsspokesman David Kaminow. Miramax is a unit of Disney.
The limited release arena included several new films.Director Steven Soderbergh’s acclaimed drug drama Traffic(USA Films), starring Michael Douglas, scored $240,000 fromfour screens (two in New York, one each in Los Angeles andToronto). It widens to 1,500 prints Friday.
Kevin Costner’s Cuban missile crisis drama Thirteen Days(New Line) directed by Roger Donaldson, blasted off with$175,000 from eight screens (four each in New York and LosAngeles) in its first full weekend. For a movie set in 1962,the film is pulling in a surprisingly high number of viewersaged under 25, said studio spokesman Steve Elzer. The filmexpands to 2,000 runs on Jan. 12.
Shadow of the Vampire, a comedy revolving around the 1922German horror film Nosferatu, scared up $150,000 from sixscreens (three each in New York and Los Angeles). The LionsGate film stars arthouse faves Willem Dafoe as actor MaxSchreck and John Malkovich as director F.W. Murnau. It widensto 500 screens on Jan. 26. USA Films is a unit of USA Networks Inc.. New LineCinema is a unit of Time Warner. Lions Gate is a unit of LionsGate Entertainment Inc.