"Hannibal" led MGM to the No. 1 spot in the February box office race with $134 million -- already besting the Lion's take of $104 million for all of 2000.
Total month's receipts hit $577.5 million, beating the same frame's previous year record by 13%.
With upcoming pics such as "Rollerball" and Martin Lawrence's "What's the Worst That Can Happen?," visions of 1995 are dancing through MGM's head. That's when the Lion roared its loudest -- $332 million in B.O.
Year to date, MGM ranks third among the studios with $154 million.
Commenting on the studio's ups and downs at the box office, prexy of worldwide marketing Gerry Rich said, "Last year was a transitional time for the studio due to the executive changes. It takes time to put a solid slate together, and 'Hannibal' was just the beginning."
Rich says the studio is very excited about the upcoming laffer "Heartbreakers." "There hasn't been a physical comedy like this since 'Meet the Parents,' " Rich said.
Laffers helped
Yet as threatening as "Hannibal" was to the competition, other studios benefited from counter-programming, notably Paramount. The studio continues to hold the No. 1 spot at the box office with $197 million in the 2001 standings. A combination of comedies ("Down to Earth") and teen pics ("Save the Last Dance") continues to buoy its coffers.Paramount distrib prexy Wayne Lewellen added, "When the box office gets a momentum like this, it feeds on itself. Films expected to bow at $10 million open 10%-20% higher on account of the boom."
Comedies laffed up more than any other genre at the box office ($174 million) last month. "Hannibal" terrified the most for horror-suspense pics ($159 million), while dramas acted up to the tune of $151 million, boosted by "Traffic" and "Cast Away."
The top 10 films during February were "Hannibal" ($134 million), Sony Classics' "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" ($38 million), Paramount's "Down to Earth" ($36 million), Sony's "The Wedding Planner" ($35.9 million), USA's "Traffic" ($29 million), Fox's "Cast Away" ($26 million), Disney's "Recess: School's Out" ($24 million), Miramax's "Chocolat" ($23 million), Paramount's "Save the Last Dance" ($22 million) and Warner's "Valentine" ($20 million).
MARKET SHARE |
STUDIO | B.O.* | % SHARE |
| MGM | 133.7 | 23.2 |
| Sony | 79.4 | 13.7 |
| Paramount | 68.6 | 11.9 |
| Warner Bros. | 64.8 | 11.2 |
| Buena Vista | 52.4 | 9.1 |
| Sony Classics | 40.1 | 7.0 |
| Fox | 30.6 | 5.3 |
| USA Films | 30.3 | 5.2 |
| Miramax | 24.6 | 4.3 |
| New Line | 16.4 | 2.8 |
| Universal | 15.9 | 2.7 |
| Par Classics | 5.6 | 1.0 |
| Lions Gate | 4.1 | 0.7 |
| Cloud Ten | 3.8 | 0.7 |
| Others | 7.2 | 1.2 |
| TOTAL | 577.5 | 100 |
*in millions of $
Source: ACNielsen EDI |
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