Winter Olympics put chill on Euro B.O.
French laffer 'Friends Forever' rules global roost
But in a soft, scattershot weekend for Tinseltown's exports, it was actually French comedy "Friends Forever" that ruled the global roost, taking in enough in France to land at No. 1 overall.
While several serious-minded Oscar pics filled theaters worldwide, it was escapist fare -- from "Saw 2" to "Fun With Dick and Jane," "Chicken Little" and "Date Movie" that shined. All those pics, in staggered release patterns, had No. 1 finishes in key territories.
When lightweights "Dick and Jane" and "Rumor Has It ... " bowed in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in Spain, one local booker sums it up by saying, "(These films) have been lucky with their release dates. I guess people are flocking to them to get away from McCarthyism, sexism, terrorism and the deep thematic concerns of the Oscar noms."
Hollywood pics found themselves up against the Winter Olympics, which helped lower B.O. takes around Europe.
Despite the Olympic competish, "Friends," from Warner Bros. France, grabbed a very healthy $11.1 million in its third frame, with a 29% drop in ticket sales. But even that impressive take left the pic -- a follow-up to the 1970s cult franchise "Les Bronzes" -- far from a sure thing to break any all-time records at home.
Pic has so far brought in nearly $60 million, and sold 1.74 million tickets in its third week. But "Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra," from 2002, had a cume of $74.1 million in Gaul by the end of its run, and had a third frame tally of 2.7 million tickets sold.
Despite the abundance of Oscar pics making the rounds, France is going through a bout of homer-ism.
Gallic newcomer "Orchestra Seats," Daniele Thompson's French ensembler, which includes stars Cecile de France, Valerie Lemercier, Albert Dupontel and Claude Brasseur, took the No. 2 spot. Pic grossed $3.8 million in its first week, a very strong score for a French auteur. The take came from a middling 405 screens, with a bold $9,470 per playdate average.
Thanks to the local perfs, Gallic B.O. dipped just 4% compared with the week prior.
Oscar contenders, including "Munich" and "Brokeback Mountain," meantime, dropped off the top-10 chart completely, despite the heady noms and heavy P&A in France. And Fox's "Walk the Line," in its first frame in France, didn't crack the top 10. (Pic bowed on a scant 260 screens, and Fox seemed to have little faith in the pic in France, where Johnny Cash is not a big draw.)
Taking advantage of the big boys stumbling, "Bambi II" nudged into third position in France over the frame. Pic pocketed a cushy $2.8 million in its third week, underlining the continuing strength of American kiddie films in France.
In other impressive local action around Europe, the No. 1 pic in Italy was local comedy "La notte prima deli esami" (The Night Before Exams). Pic is set in 1980s Rome, and helmed by director Fausto Brizzi. Exhibs say the film has great word of mouth and is targeted to thirtysomethings.
Back in the world of Hollywood's hopefuls, "Munich," took in just over $7 million overseas, to bring the political thriller's worldwide take to $110 million.
Pic's top performing territory so far internationally has been the U.K., where the pic has shot up to just under $8 million. Take from France is $6.7 million, and Germany $6.4 million.
But "Munich" is now slipping off the charts in the U.K., dropping from sixth to ninth in its last frame.
Like other Euro markets, the territory is keen on lighter fare at the moment, reflected by the turf's top three finishers: Buena Vista Intl.'s "Chicken Little," Fox's "Big Momma's House 2" and Entertainment's "Final Destination 3."
Oscar contender "Good Night, and Good Luck" rolled out by Redbus in Blighty, made a limited bow, debuting on just 88 screens and taking in just over $700,000. Pic, which bowed in the No. 8 spot on the U.K. charts, was followed by fellow awards faves "Munich" and "Brokeback."
One Oscar contender faring well in the U.K. is Fox's "Walk the Line," which has taken in about $8.5 million to date, thanks in part to a strong perf in Ireland.
Despite Philip Seymour Hoffman's win at the BAFA Awards, "Capote" has yet to open in the U.K. and many other key markets. The pic has bowed in only Italy, Poland, New Zealand and Taiwan.
In Germany, "Saw 2" and local teen comedy "The Wild Chicks" held the top spots, as newcomers "Lord of War" and Teutonic bunny toon "Felix 2" failed to make a splash. German B.O. dropped 9% from the previous week as a result.
"There is nothing out there right now," bemoans one local exhib. However, "Walk the Line" was showing some legs, landing in the No. 3 spot, having cumed $5.15 million so far in the territory with a decent per-screen average.
Oscar contender "Brokeback Mountain" is skedded to hit theaters March 9. "With all the publicity it's getting, not to mention the attractive stars, 'Brokeback' is all but guaranteed to do excellent business here," projected one German exhib.
Still, German cinema operators are looking past in-release Oscar pics, pinningtheir hopes on a slew of upcoming Berlin fest faves, such as "The Elementary Particles" (Feb. 23) and "Requiem" (March 2).
Spanish B.O. fell 6% from the previous frame, and none of the new pics in the turf's charts even passed the $1 million mark.
Sony's "Dick and Jane" is making an impressive run in Spain. Jim Carrey comedy raced to $3.0 million over 10 days, and bookers say the pic is working better than expected.
"Casanova" made a splash in the No. 3 spot in Spain, pleasing bookers. "Memoirs of a Geisha" has seduced a solid $11.0 million in five frames from moviegoers.
Down Under, February is usually one of the slowest months for movies, but Oscar and arthouse pics have been bright spots. After the crowd-pleaser "Date Movie," which opened in No. 1 for Fox in Oz, the studio's "Walk the Line" came in second, followed by Warner Bros.' "Syriana," Roadshow's "Brokeback" and BVI's "Casanova."
(Esther de Prado in Spain, Sheri Jennings in Italy, Liza Klaussmann in France, Ed Meza in Germany and Michaela Boland in Australia contributed to this report.)
