March cume tomb
Month's B.O. low; WB wins tame frame
Warner Bros. handily won the frame with its opening day gross on the sci-fi adventure "Matrix" pushing its 31-day tally to $106 million for a 23.5% market share. The Burbank bunch were also responsible for the top-performing pic, the crime comedy "Analyze This," which more than doubled the performance of the No. 2 picture.
The month was largely volume- driven with few films demonstrating much stamina regardless of their opening numbers. It was also a disappointing edition for Oscar contenders, with Miramax claiming the lion's share of the spoils leading into the event and reaping big rewards for the Italian-lingo "Life Is Beautiful" in post-ceremony play.
Ticket sales fell to approximately 90.9 million admissions, 24% behind the monthly record set in 1997 and lagging by 9% from one year ago.
Niche fare was largely confined to specialized venues thanks to a glut of new releases and paucity of quality titles demonstrating crossover potential. Still, a few films, including Fox Searchlight's "20 Dates" and Gramercy's "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" among the non-nominees, were playing well in limited exposure.
Following "Analyze This," March's top grossers (in descending order) were Sony's "Cruel Intentions," DreamWorks' "Forces of Nature," Miramax's "Shakespeare in Love," Buena Vista's "The Other Sister," Sony's "Baby Geniuses," MGM's "The Rage: Carrie 2," Miramax's "Life Is Beautiful," New Line's "The Corruptor" and Universal's "October Sky."
