office,
jumping past four other new releases to open in the No. 1 spot at the weekend.Sunday October 24, 1999
'Best Man' Grabs Brass Ring At Box Office
By Dean Goodman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - ``The Best Man'' caught the bouquet at the North American box
office,
jumping past four other new releases to open in the No. 1 spot at the weekend.
According to studio estimates issued Sunday, Universal Pictures' black ensemble romantic comedy
earned about $9.1 million for the Friday-to-Sunday period, becoming the first movie since
``Forces of Nature'' in March to top the list with under $10 million.
Ashley Judd's ``Double Jeopardy'' (Paramount), the big surprise hit of the fall, remained at No. 2
for a second week with $7.7 million. Brad Pitt's ``Fight Club'' (Fox), declared last weekend's
champ when final figures were released Monday, slipped to No. 3 in its second round with $6.3
million.
Director Martin Scorsese's ``Bringing out the Dead'' (Paramount), a black comedy starring
Nicolas Cage as a New York paramedic on the verge of a breakdown, opened at No. 4 with
$6.2 million. Universal's ``The Story of Us,'' a poignant romantic comedy starring Bruce Willis and
Michelle Pfeiffer, slipped two places to No. 5 in its second weekend with $5.5 million.
The top 10 contained two other new releases. The horror film ``Bats'' (Destination) opened at No.
7 with $4.7 million, narrowly ahead of Warner Bros.' ``Three to Tango,'' a mistaken sexual identity
comedy featuring TV stars Neve Campbell, Matthew Perry and Dylan McDermott, with $4.6
million.
According to Exhibitor Relations, which collects the studios' data, the top 12 films this weekend
grossed a combined $64.7 million, down 9 percent from a week ago, and up 3.4 percent from the
year-ago period when ``Pleasantville'' opened at No. 1 with $8.9 million.
``The Best Man,'' a $9 million movie starring Taye Diggs and Nia Long, is a ``Big Chill''-type film
revolving around a wedding weekend reunion. Blacks made up about half the audience, but
``everybody loved it across the board,'' said Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco. Its per
screen average of $6,761 was the highest in the top 10.
``Bringing Out the Dead,'' which cost about $30 million, opened in line with Scorsese's 1990
``GoodFellas,'' which ended up with $47 million. Paramount distribution president Wayne
Lewellen said the film played strongest to older males in large markets. Its per screen average was
a modest $3,202.
``Bats,'' a $12 million genre picture that marks the first release of Destination Films, opened on par
with the company's expectations, said distribution president Barry London. Young males were the
primary audience. It averaged just $1,847.
WB had hoped ``Three to Tango'' would open to slightly better numbers, but distribution executive
Jeff Goldstein noted the film played especially strongly in Campbell's native Canada. It averaged
$2,059.
The fifth new wide release opened well out of the top 10. Melanie Griffith's ``Crazy in Alabama''
(Columbia), which marks the directing debut of her husband Antonio Banderas, earned just $1.0
million and a per screen average of $824.
Rounding out the top 10 were DreamWorks' suburban nightmare ''American Beauty'' (40-day
total $48.9 million) at No. 6 with $5.4 million; while Hollywood Pictures' ``The Sixth Sense''
(80-day total $255.7 million) and WB's ``Three Kings'' (24-day total $50.1 million) tied for No. 9
with $4.3 million each.
Among last weekend's openers, ``Fight Club'' and ``The Story of Us'' each saw their tallies tumble
43 percent this weekend. Their 10-day totals stand at $21.9 million and $17.9 million,
respectively. ``The Sixth Sense'' enjoyed the best hold, slipping just 17 percent.
After 31 days in release, ``Double Jeopardy'' has earned $91.0 million, and should end its
domestic run with between $110 million and $120 million, according to Paramount's Lewellen.
Universal Pictures is a unit of Seagram Co. Ltd. Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc
(NYSE:VIA - news). Twentieth Century Fox is a unit of Fox Entertainment Group Inc
(NYSE:FOX - news). Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc (NYSE:TWX - news).
DreamWorks SKG and Destination Films are privately held. Columbia Pictures is a unit of Sony
Corp (NYSE:SNE - news). Hollywood Pictures is a unit of Walt Disney Co.
The top 10 movies at the box office
LOS ANGELES, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Following are the top 10 movies at the North American box
office for the Oct. 22-24 weekend, according to studio estimates collected Sunday by Reuters.
Final data will be released Monday.
1 (+) The Best Man ..................... $9.1 million
2 (2) Double Jeopardy .................. $7.7 million
3 (1) Fight Club ......... ............. $6.3 million
4 (+) Bringing out the Dead ............ $6.2 million
5 (3) The Story of Us .................. $5.5 million
6 (5) American Beauty .................. $5.4 million
7 (+) Bats ............................. $4.7 million
8 (+) Three to Tango ................... $4.6 million
9-(8) The Sixth Sense .................. $4.3 million
9-(4) Three Kings ...................... $4.3 million
NOTE: Last weekend's position in parenthesis. + - new release. ``Crazy in Alabama,'' which also
debuted in wide release this weekend, grossed about $1.0 million.
The Best Man and The Story of Us are released by Universal Pictures, a unit of Seagram Co. Ltd.
Double Jeopardy and Bringing out the Dead are released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom
Inc (NYSE:VIA - news).
Fight Club is released by Twentieth Century Fox, a unit of Fox Entertainment Group Inc
(NYSE:FOX - news).
American Beauty is released by DreamWorks, which is privately held.
Bats is released by Destination Films, which is privately held.
Three to Tango and Three Kings are released by Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc
(NYSE:TWX - news).
The Sixth Sense is released by Hollywood Pictures, a unit of Walt Disney Co.
Crazy in Alabama is released by Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news).
JOHN L.: I love weeks like this at the box office. We have 4 new movies in the top 10, another wide release that failed to make the top 10, plus a movie I have seen in the top 10. Today's special edition of John L.'s Kickin' Box Office Reports (I know many hate that phrase, but it's staying for now) will have my review of that "hit" movie "Fight Club." I have a lot to say about it and the surprise at #1, the continued misstep of husband&wife movies, comedy defeating the point of horror, current tv stars trying to moonlight, and another husband&wife get together to cost Columbia Pictures a whole lot of cash. I will first go over the new movies in the top 10, find out where "Crazy in Alabama" actually fell in this week's box office, review Fight Club, and then summarize the rest in my Rest of the Top 10 in 10 section that is catching on with the short attention span fans. Lot's to cover, so let's get it jump started.
Our new #1 this week is Universal Picture's "The Best Man." For the first time since Julia Roberts graced our presence a romantic movie has reached the #1 spot. However, since we are the dog days of Fall, it grosses below $10 million like it was a Steven Segall debut from 5 years ago. How did this happen? How did a movie that received some publicity on MTV and teen type shows beat out such "established" stars like Nicholas Cage, Neve Campbell, Leon (?), and Melanie Griffith? Is BM really a Big Chill for the 90's or is the World Series just that compelling? It was time for a movie like this since for the last 3 months we have been bombarded with witches, dead people, murderous wives, and brutality challenged white collar workers. In BM Taye "I got Stella to get Groovy" Diggs plays a best man at a wedding that brings together old friends who have all become successful in different ways. The movie's catch is that Diggs' has written a fiction book that has a lot of non fiction about his relationship with his fellow buddies. Unfortunately his buds don't like what he has written. And hilarity and infidelity ensues. Can you say date movie? The plot seems to be a little too movie of the week and not enough to get a large box office which is evident by it just doing $9 million. But it is a good movie to show a few up and coming actors who as of late are getting quite the cinematic push. "Neck" Taye Diggs is one of the guys that Entertainment Tonight and E! News Daily likes to toute as the next big thing. Nia Long has been around for quite a bit of the 90's and is making a nice name for herself in movies, but still has not broken out of "oh she's from Fresh Prince and Guiding Light" comments. Morris Chestnut can't get a break. He was in Boyz in the Hood and that Patti LaBelle show, but he is getting a little old for the breakout part. Harold Perrineau Jr. plays Prisoner #95H522 on Oz who I believe is the narrator as well of the show. I am happy to see that he does not have to always look at naked male asses to get work. All of this is nice, but what was the spark that made it go to #1. Well it seems to be Mr. Diggs' real life writing technique that got the movie over with the general public. A couple of weeks ago, he wrote a complaint letter to Entertainment Weekly saying he did not like how in their Fall Preview issue they said BM was a Big Chill movie for African Americans. He felt that that was a somewhat racist statement that would limit the appeal of the film if people thought that only one type of person should see it. He was right. All EW had to say was that it was like the Big Chill, but they had to bring race into it, much like I am forced to do now. Big Chill was a ripoff of a movie called the Secaucus Seven. Movies that have predominantly black cast are always made an example of it the characters are shown in a non gang, drug, police sergeant type of way. That is considered the norm, not the Soul Food or Waiting to Exhale type flicks that show that blacks can have real jobs and screw up just like Asian folks. The way these movies like BM are made now is very economical for the movie studio. They usually cost less than $15 -20 million to make and if they are any good can gross $30-60 million. For them to gross more, the public has to realize that just because a movie stars a single race whether its black, white, asian, hispanic, east indian, north american indian, or mulatto, it can still be a decent flick or suck on it's own merits. Best Man is promoted as a "safe" movie to see because it has universal themes about relationships that everyone goes through. In other words, it's okay for white people to go see it. However, people should not feel obligated to see a movie just based on the race of the cast. If the plot or the actors are not your thing, don't see it. That is what it comes down to, if the movie has a good story or gimmick, people will check it out no matter what shade the stars are. This topic sort of creeps up later in the report. See you then.
A victim of diminishing returns thy name be Bringing out the Dead. Nick Cage
is now the 3rd person in the last 2 months to see dead people. Every
year there is a running theme in movie plots. Two or three movies come out near
each other with a similar plot or gimmick. Like last year’s Deep Impact and
Armageddon both about large space objects colliding with the 
Earth.
Now we have the 3rd movie in the "dead people" trilogy. It
started with the Sixth Sense, then Stir of Echoes, and now Martin Scorsese’s
Bringing out the Dead. SS made $255 million, SOE made around $20 million, and
BOTD looks to make around that much if not less. Martin S., ex film instructor
to Billy Crystal, cannot make a hit movie. Raging Bull and Taxi Driver are 2 of
the mainstream critic’s favorite movies, Goodfellas has some good lines, and
Cape Fear made a good amount of cash, but most of his movies mean blechh
financially. What the heck was Kundun? The other problem is that any movie that
has real life husband&wife teams together means box office death. Patricia
Arquette Cage has not had a hit movie since Elm Street 3, and teaming up with
Nicholas Coppola is not going to help. I think she may have seen some dead
people in Stir of Echoes as well. Poor girl. The other thing is the preview for
the movie is not clear about what the film is about. Why is Nick Cage seeing
dead people, why is he so pale like he too is dead, and why should we care? I am
sick of dead people. Looks like Cage is coming up Snake Eyes again. The glory
years of 1995-1997 are over. The Rock 2 is starting to look really good.
BATS opened poorly this week, even though it had the most extensive ad
campaign of the new movies. I saw BATS previews for months and it looked sort of
cool. I enjoy when animals attack movies just like the next guy. In fact, this
was one I was going to check out on the first day it 
opened.
But then I read a couple of reviews and it completely turned me off. I thought
BATS would be a scary bat grossout flick, but it turns out that there is a lot
of comedy and tongue in cheek stuff that I hate in horror movies. Producers say
that you have to lessen the terror with humor or it is too much for the
audience. I hate when they say that. Horror should be played straight and not
jokingly. When it is played straight, you get box office success. Just ask the
makers of Sixth Sense and Blair Witch. Scream is tongue in cheek, but it played
the horror scenes straight and violently so it became popular. However, much
like Lake Placid this summer, BATS is PG-13 and that is not good for an animal
attack movie. The 18-34 audience knows that the violence will not be as intense
so they stay home. It had a chance, but the producers thought that a PG-13 would
bring in a younger crowd and more money. One of these days Hollywood will
realize that R-Rated movies make a lot of money and when a horror movie is
adult, it tends to make more money. BATS will be regulated to bad DVD night in
my house.
Three to Tango had 3 strikes against it going in. Gay themed movies don’t
bring in the all important male 18-34 crowd, too many tv stars, and Matthew
Perry still playing Chandler Bing on film. TTT is about a Perry and his gay
friend played by Oliver Platt trying to get an architectural deal with 
Dylan
McDermott who is having an affair with Neve Campbell. Through movie mistaken
identity, DM thinks that MP is gay like OP. That means MP can keep an eye on NC
since MP is a non threat. Whatever. Let’s examine the 3 problems this movie
has. One, is it’s supposed gay theme and how movies like that don’t do all
that well. Just ask Tori Spelling who was in the movie Trick about her being the
odd woman out between to gay guys. It never made the top ten and barely showed
up at all. Stories like that tend to play better on stage in New York or L.A.
Middle America and the South are still a bit uptight. Also, TTT is another
heterosexual point of view of the gay life. Perry gets to do his smirks about
Neve Campbell’s lesbian experimentation that tends to turn guys on. Jennifer
Aniston did a gay movie called Object of My Affection about her trying to change
a gay guy. That movie was not successful either. The only gay movies that make
money are the deep AIDS dramas like Philadelphia and broad comedies like The
Bird Cage. Bound did not make any money, but is popular with those who saw it,
especially guys who think it may have the best lesbian scene in R-rated movie
history. If the movie is interesting, people will go see it, but like all
movies, it has to have a good plot, really popular stars, or a cool gimmick.
This had stuff you can see and hear every day on the Howard Stern show or every
other episode of Friends, Party of Five, or The Practice. This leads to problem
#2, too many high profile tv stars in one movie. Matthew Perry is on one of the
most popular shows of the 1990s next to E.R. and Seinfeld. Neve Campbell is a
huge star on FOX with Party of 5, a show that had a write in campaign save it
and now it’s in its 5th or 6th season and has a spinoff.
Dylan McD is on a David Kelly produced show that has won 2 best drama Emmys.
These 3 should tango more with their day jobs. No one wants to pay to see what
they get for free. Heck Friends is on in syndication meaning you can get a MP
fix 6 times a week. For a TV star to be successful in film, they have to quit
the tv show they are on first, however, it does not guarantee success, just ask
David Caruso and George Clooney. But if you ask Tom Hanks, Will Smith, Adam
Sandler, and Jim Carrey, you know that tv success can lead to huge cinema money.
In fact Hanks and Smith have played gay characters in movies and are still
popular. Matt Perry needs to pick a role that is different from Chandler. I
believe that there was even a plot on Friends in which everyone though he was
gay just like in Three to Tango. It probably aired a dozen times last week in
syndication somewhere in the United States. He needs to play bad guy or
something that is all cocky but evil at the same time. Use the Chandler persona
and turn it upside down. It could be different, but similar enough so that
people may plunk down the cash to see him play someone other than Monica’s
boyfriend. A reason to see the movie though is Oliver Platt. He is a good actor
who has never had the role worthy of his talents. No matter how bad the film is,
if he is in it, his scenes are usually good. He was the only thing worth noting
in last summer’s Lake Placid, and I have been a fan of his since his
Flatliners days in which he was the only one not to die to see the other side.
He is funny and him as a non flaming gay guy actually has some funny
possibilities. He also does good serious rants about things in the midst of
comedies, so it seems like he is worth seeing in TTT. MP and DM are staying on
their respective shows, but Neve wants to leave Party of Five after this current
season. Here are three words for ya, ShellyLong, MichaelJFox, DamonWayans. Day
jobs should never be quit.
I can’t seem to find where "Crazy in Alabama" fell in the box
office this week. I may update it Wednesday when the true final numbers are
completed. But, I don’t think anyone will care. Antonia "ahh yes, how do
you say" Bandereas is directing his wife Melanie Griffith Bandereas for the
first
time in this coming of age, revenge fantasy, I want to be a star, blacks should
swim in all pools story. People goof on AB for his accent and heritage when it
comes to how can he possibly direct a movie about a civil rights struggle in
Alabama and a woman who cuts off her husband’s head and keeps it in a hat box.
I am willing to give him a chance, but he has 2 strikes against him right off
the bat. He is trying like so many others to make a movie with his spouse. It
cannot be done. Husband&wives should never work together on film, period.
The other thing is the racial story in the movie in which Meatloaf (the singer,
not the food) plays a cop who kills a black kid trying to swim in a white’s
only pool. Civil rights themed movies never ever make money at the box office,
and African Americans really hate those type of movies that have the white
person being the savior of the black people since the blacks are too pitiful and
oppressed to help themselves. There is a long list of movies like this from
Mississippi Burning about the death of 3 civil rights people, starring Gene
Hackman. Cry Freedom about South African leader Steven Biko, starring Kevin
Kline. Long Walk Home about the bus boycotts starring Sissy Spacek. Heck, the
movie about the Sioux Indians and their struggle, Dances With Wolves starred
friggin Kevin Costner and Mary McDonnell before mention of any Indian actors. It
made $189 million but it did show a lot of Indians and Costner was super popular
at the time. However, Hollywood hates to make civil rights movies that focus on
the group that is being oppressed. China has a lot of government problems. But
the movie they make about it stars Richard Gere as an American in China. Now we
have the kid from Sling Blade, Lucas Black II, trying to start a civil rights
revolution in rural Alabama, sacrificing his eye in the process. Melanie
Griffith is another problem with this movie. She has never, ever had a hit
movie. Working Girl is her best known, and Something Wild got her critical
acclaim. However, her name on the marquee means pick another movie. I don’t
know what it is, her voice, her fake boobs, her fake lips, or her bad acting,
but she is the poster girl for box office death. Crazy in Alabama never had a
chance. I saw an interview with MG a couple of weeks ago, and she said at movie
festival screening of CIA, it received a standing ovation at the end from the
crowd. It made her cry. When she sees this week’s box office, expect her
mascara to run again.
And now for our rare movie review of the week: FIGHT CLUB.
First rule of fight club is to not talk about fight club. Second rule of
fight club is YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB. After seeing the film, I
agree. There is no way to review this film to someone who has not seen it. It
has plot twists and scenes that are so disturbing, you may have to see the movie
twice to get the whole thing. I went into the film not expecting much, and came
out getting much more. I liked it. The previews make it 
look
like some macho Jean Claude Van Damme Blood Sport ripoff. And for a small part
of the movie it is. The actual Fight Club part of the movie is just a gimmick to
move the story along. Fight Club is not about fight clubing. It is about the
disillusionment of men in society and how they come together to try to make it a
better place by getting out their aggressions in violent street fights. How
those fights can change the world is part of twist of the movie. The fight
scenes are not all that interesting, but when the point of them is revealed,
then you realize to a certain degree why they were necessary. People hearing
about FC are turned off by it because they are told that it is ultra violent and
bloody. It is to a certain degree, but it is not as violent as I thought it
would be and is less bloody than your average ECW ppv. I will say this, an event
happens in the last 3rd of the movie that will either make you think
this movie is great or is a cop out. I was leaning toward a negative review
until this happened, and then when I realized they were going in that direction
and staying there, I bought the whole thing. It is not the best movie of the
year, and it is no where near the worst. It should be making a lot more money at
the B.O. than it is. The subject matter that is promoted in the trailers is
keeping people away and it shouldn’t. It is very good and I recommend it. Ed
Norton is very good in his Narrator role. Not Oscar worthy, but he does carry
the film. Brad Pitt is excellent as well. He plays the cocky uber-man very well
and has to do things you don’t see him do in his films. Brad Pitt fans should
definitely check out FC especially if Meet Joe Black did nothing for you. Helena
Bonham Carter had no real point in the film. Her role could have been eliminated
and not have changed a thing. She is there to smoke, screw, and annoy the
audience. Also, I hate when British people speak in American accents and she is
not the best at it. Bob Hoskins is the best one at that special talent. If you
go see the movie, look very closely at it because it has subliminal messages
throughout that help explain what has been going on when the end comes about. I
missed it when I saw the movie, but I do remember some things and the very last
shot is a subliminal that most people in the film caught if they did not see the
others. Also, there are some inside jokes like the movie marquee that says
"Seven Year in Tibe" as a goof on Brad Pitt’s other bomb. If you see
anything referring to some wild twist or surprise ending, do yourself a favor
and don’t read what it is. I did not see it coming, and I may be giving it
away just talking about it. Meatloaf plays a hilarious character in the film
that cannot be described without ruining the joke. He has a very good small role
in the film, and is very sympathetic. Go see Fight Club, and forget what you saw
in the previews. They don’t do the film justice. No matter what you think of
the movie, you will definitely be talking about all the way home from the
theater, and it just might make you think about all the stuff that goes on
around you more and appreciating it a whole lot more. Final review: Thumbs up,
B+, 3 stars out of 4, and a 7 ½ out of 10.
THE REST OF THE TOP 10 IN 10:
Double Jeopardy fought its way up to the #2 spot to reach the $91 million mark. Ashley Judd should teach Melanie Banderas how to kill a husband the right way… twice. Too bad there are no dead people in Story of Us. If there were, it could have done a little better, but judging by Bringing Out the Dead’s box office, it looks like it could have done worse. Annette Benning is about $1 million away from having her biggest hit ever with American Beauty. Kevin Spacey is having his 3rd most successful film next to A Bug’s Life and Seven. Sixth Sense is the most successful Bruce Willis movie ever. It is only his second one to make more than $200 million. Three Kings is about to become Clooney’s second most successful film next to Batman and Robin. In fact, I think TK is his most successful because I don’t thing BAR is on Clooney’s resume anyway.
That is that for this week. A very long report, but a lot was covered. I believe next week House on Haunted Hill closes out the Halloween season. After the debacle called the Haunting, I don’t think people are going to support this new flick. I think the next event movie may just be that Pokemon thing coming out soon. If it does Rugrats level money, look for Pokewomon next year at this time. Kevin Smith’s Dogma is coming out soon with Damon&Affleck. Smith is clever and all that, but box office gross is not his forte. If there are more religious protests, maybe it will have a chance. Bye for now.
ABOUT JOHN L.'S KICKIN' BOX OFFICE REPORTS
THIS WEEK'S BOX OFFICE REPORT LAST WEEK'S BOX OFFICE REPORT
SPECIAL SUMMER OF 1999 MOVIE REVIEW
SPECIAL MIDSUMMER 1999 BOX OFFICE REVIEW
THE BEST AND WORST MOVIES OF 1998
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