|
 |
| "Batman Begins" debuted as the top movie with
$46.9 million |
Batman was powerful enough to rule the box office,
but the superhero was unable to pull Hollywood out of its worst slump in
20 years.
"Batman Begins" debuted as the top movie with $46.9
million, while overall movie revenues
skidded for the 17th-straight weekend, tying a slide in
1985 that had been the longest box-office decline since analysts began
keeping detailed records on movie grosses.
The top 12 movies took in $128.5 million, down 1.6 percent from the
same weekend in 2004, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The slump may be a sign that more people are seeing movies at home. An
Associated Press-AOL poll last week found that 73 percent of adults prefer
watching movies on DVD, videotape or pay-per-view rather than going to
the theater.
Studio executives blame the downturn
on a comparatively weak lineup of movies this year and say
it will take more time to determine if DVDs and other home-entertainment
options are eroding theater business.
"Certainly, we need to look at that, but I believe you can't do it by
looking at six months. I think you have to take a couple of years to look
at it," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which
released "Batman Begins."
"We're still product-driven, and even though there were and will
continue to be strong movies in the summer, I don't think there have been
enough of them."
Movie revenues this year are down 6.4 percent compared to 2004's,
according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. Accounting for
increased ticket prices, admissions are off 9 percent.
"Batman Begins" bumped the previous weekend's No. 1 film, "Mr. and Mrs.
Smith," to second place with $27.3 million, raising its 10-day total to
$98 million.
The weekend's only other new wide release, Hilary Duff's "The Perfect
Man," opened with a weak $5.5 million, less than half the $13.6 million
debut for the teen queen's 2004 romance "A Cinderella Story."
Since opening Wednesday, "Batman Begins," starring Christian Bale as
the DC Comics hero in his early days, grossed $71.1 million. The cast also
includes Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes and Gary Oldman.
Comparisons to the previous four "Batman" movies, released from 1989 to
1997, are imprecise since they all opened on Friday and ticket prices have
risen dramatically since. The earlier "Batman" flicks had opening weekends
ranging from $40.5 million to $52.8 million.
Warner Bros. expects "Batman Begins" to finish its first week with $85
million, compared to a range of $59 million to $77 million for the
previous "Batman" movies in their first week.
Distribution boss Fellman said "Batman Begins" opened strongly enough
that he expects the studio will push ahead with a sequel.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American
theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be
released Monday.
1. "Batman Begins," $46.9 million.
2. "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," $27.3 million.
3. "Madagascar," $11.1 million.
4. "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," $9.7 million.
5. "The Longest Yard," $8 million.
6. "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D," $6.6 million.
7. "The Perfect Man," $5.5 million.
8. "Cinderella Man," $5.2 million.
9. "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," $3.2 million.
10. "The Honeymooners," $2.6
million.
(CRI) | 
Updated: 2005-06-20 15:22
