'Inkheart,' 'Underworld' open wide
Oscar nominees 'Nixon,' 'Slumdog' expand
More Articles:
Most Viewed:
Invictus(5681 views)Football player elbows vampires on Turkey day(3888 views)The Lovely Bones(1256 views)'Burn Notice' gets renewal(865 views)The costs of H’w’d spending(751 views)'2012' breaks B.O. record in Russia(702 views) |
“Rise of the Lycans” debuts in 2,942 theaters and is forecast to win the frame.
Warner Bros./New Line open family adventure “Inkheart,” toplining Brendan Fraser, in 2,655 runs. Film, which has been completed for months, doesn’t have strong buzz but has an advantage as a kidpic.
There will be plenty of action on the specialty side as “Frost/Nixon” and fellow best-pic nominee “Slumdog Millionaire,” from Fox Searchlight, expand nationwide following the announcement of the noms.
“Rise of the Lycans” is the third installment in Screen Gems-Lakeshore’s lucrative “Underworld” franchise. “Underworld: Evolution” opened to $26.9 million on the same weekend in 2006 on its way to grossing $62.3 million domestically. Original “Underworld” earned $21.8 million in its first weekend on its way to cuming $51.5 million.
Holdovers should continue to see good biz, including Sony’s “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” which heads into its second sesh with a cume north of $41 million.
On the specialty side, new openers include Magnolia’s “Donkey Punch,” which opens in two theaters in New York and L.A.; Third Rail’s Mickey Rourke starrer “Killshot,” which opens in five runs; and “Outlander,” also from Third Rail, which opens in 80.
Aside from the Oscar contenders expanding in international markets, foreign multiplexes will also see the first offshore launches of “Valkyrie” with openings in Australia, Germany, Holland, South Korea and the U.K., all through Fox. MGM’s domestic run of Tom Cruise’s military thriller generated a respectable — but not blockbuster — $79 million.
Cruise’s star power in foreign markets has been formidable, with “Mission: Impossible III” grossing $263 million internationally. The foreign total for “Lions for Lambs” hit $48 million — triple the disappointing domestic cume.
The weekend will also see day-and-date openings for "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" in Australia, Greece and Poland.The previous two “Underworld” entries generated moderate traction overseas, with $43 million for the first and $49 million for “Underworld: Evolution.”
“Inkheart” goes day-and-date this weekend in Malaysia and Singapore and head into France and Mexico next weekend. It’s already grossed $17 million outside the U.S. from half a dozen markets — mostly $9.6 million from Germany and $5.7 million from the U.K. over the past six weeks.
“Inkheart” is handled via a variety of local distribs as New Line sold off foreign territories to finance the fantasy pic.
Other foreign expansions include “Australia” in Brazil, “Bride Wars” in Taiwan, “Hotel for Dogs” in Mexico, “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” in Taiwan and “Yes Man” in France and Taiwan.
