Pooches prevail
'Eight' is enough; 'Freedomland' falters
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Disney's true-life story "Eight Below" opened well ahead of expectations, taking $25 million in first place, while Regency's spoof film, distributed by Fox, opened to an impressive $22.3 million.
But "Freedomland," Sony and Revolution's adaptation of Richard Price's novel, opened to a weak $7 million over the four-day weekend.
Among holdovers, "The Pink Panther" showed very strong legs and the four Oscar best picture nominees still in theaters saw modest drops.
"Eight Below" drew more broadly than expected, with 35% of ticket buyers for the film adults without children.
"We always knew we would get families," said Disney distrib topper Chuck Viane. "But whether they came for the storyline or they were animal lovers or they heard how good it was, it's an unexpected pleasure to get such a large population of adults."
Paul Walker starrer averaged $6,474 over three days at 3,066 theaters.
Drawing the same young aud that has driven recent horror films "Final Destination 3" and "When a Stranger Calls" to opening weekends around $20 million, "Date Movie" averaged $6,561 over three days at 2,896 playdates.
Joe Roth-helmed "Freedomland" averaged $2,541 over three days at 2,361 plays.
It looks to be the second major misstep in a row for Revolution following "Rent." Mini-studio recently stopped development as it figures out what to do after its distribution pact with Sony ends next year.
Families were out in force over the school holiday, lifting several pics aimed at tykes.
Sony and MGM's "The Pink Panther" dropped just 17% on a three-day comparison, grossing $21 million over four days. Per-play average was $4,832 on a three-day basis at 3,477 locations. Cume for the newest installment of the comedy franchise is $46.7 million.
"Curious George" fell a similarly modest 21%, grossing $15.3 million over four days in fourth place. Universal toon averaged $4,520 over three days at 2,572; cume is $33.5 million.
Among Oscar's best-pic nominees, "Brokeback Mountain" is still playing strongest. Focus' love story dropped 21%, grossing $3.8 million over four days at 1,600 playdates and averaging $1,998 for the three-day frame. Cume is $72 million.
Sony Pictures Classics and United Artists' "Capote" dropped just 13%. Biopic grossed $1.4 million for four days and averaged $1,970 over three days at 559 locations, upping cume to $22 million.
U's "Munich" also dropped a mere 13% this frame, taking $809,000 for the frame at 380 theaters. Three-day average take was $1,789; cume is $45.4 million.
"Good Night, and Good Luck" declined by 26% as it grossed $775,000 at 315 playdates. Average over three days for Warner Independent's historical drama was $2,048, and the total take is now $29.3 million.
"Walk the Line" also seems to be benefiting from its acting nominations and Golden Globes wins, as it fell just 22%, grossing $1.8 million at 883 theaters. Per-play average over three days was $1,755, and cume is a very impressive $116.4 million.
Limited releases
In limited release, Fox Searchlight's Russian import "Nightwatch" rode a mix of native speakers and sci-fi fans to an impressive $110,171 gross at just three playdates in New York, L.A. and San Francisco. Per-play take was $28,995 over three days. Pic expands to about 35 locations in nine more markets this Friday.
Sony bowed Christian pic "The Second Chance" to a weak $250,000 at 87 playdates. Per-play take over three days was $2,874.
In a small-scale day-and-date experiment, IFC Films bowed "Confederate States of America" simultaneously at its own IFC Center in Gotham and via video-on-demand on parent company Cablevision Systems. The 2004 Sundance entry grossed a solid $23,303 over four days, $17,803 for three days. Cume including a short two-city run in October is $44,132.
Zeitgeist Films' "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days" bowed to a strong $17,310 in a single play in Gotham. German pic expands to eight theaters in New York and L.A. next weekend.
Mexican import "Battle in Heaven" debuted with $26,352 at two theaters for Tartan Films. Per-play average over three days was $10,176.
In its second frame, Paramount Classics concert pic "Neil Young: Heart of Gold" grossed a decent $215,694 at 30 locations in 11 markets. Average over three days was $5,795; cume is $292,214. On Friday it expands to 12 more markets.
The Weinstein Co. expanded two of its pics to decent results. Judi Dench starrer "Mrs. Henderson Presents" got 172 more playdates, bringing it to 431, and expanded its gross by 32%. Four-day take was $1.1 million and per-play average for three days was $2,123; cume is $5.8 million.
"Transamerica," which like "Mrs. Henderson" copped an actress Oscar nom for its lead, grew from 126 to 158 theaters and saw a 30% jump in its gross. Estimated take for the frame was $735,733, and three-day per-play average was $3,772. Cume for the Felicity Huffman starrer is $3.8 million.
Picturehouse comedy "Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story" expanded to 32 playdates and grossed a so-so $181,408. Per-play average over three days was $4,787. Total take for the Steve Coogan starrer is $385,376.
In its third frame, Sony Pictures Classics' "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" saw its gross grow by 4% even as it lost one screen. Tommy Lee Jones-helmed Western took $239,061 over four days, giving it a three-day per-play average of $4,611 and a cume of $793,142.
Overall business for the weekend was down 2% compared to a year ago, when Columbia comedy "Hitch" topped the frame.
