Thursday, April 19, 2001

'Spy Kids' Tops Box Office for Third Weekend

By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The children's thriller ``Spy Kids'' ruled the North American box office for the third consecutive weekend, while the British romantic comedy ``Bridget Jones's Diary'' opened strongly on both sides of the Atlantic, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.

``Spy Kids'' grossed about $12.8 million from U.S. and Canadian theaters during the Friday-to-Sunday Easter holiday period. The Morgan Freeman thriller ``Along Came a Spider'' held steady at No. 2 with $11.3 million in its second weekend.

``Bridget Jones's Diary,'' based on British author Helen Fielding's best-selling novel about a neurotic single London woman, opened at No. 3 with $10.8 million.

The film, starring Texas native Renee Zellweger and co-starring Hugh Grant, also bowed at No. 1 in the United Kingdom with a projected three-day haul of $8.4 million, a record for a British picture, and No. 8 on the all-time rankings.

``Diary'' was budgeted in the mid-$20 million area, and directed by English rookie feature filmmaker Sharon Maguire. It was released in North America by Miramax Films and in Britain by Universal Pictures. The studios co-produced with France's StudioCanal.

In North America, women predictably accounted for about 60 percent of the audience, often coming in ``large packs,'' said David Brooks, executive vice president of marketing at Miramax.

Pre-opening research had indicated that only 3 to 4 percent of potential moviegoers had heard of Fielding's book, which was a bestseller in the United Kingdom, but strong only in New York and Los Angeles, Brooks said.

``Diary'' played across the board geographically, and will expand to more than 2,000 theaters next weekend. It is currently at 1,611 theaters -- about half the total of ``Spy Kids.''

New York-based Miramax is a unit of Walt Disney Co., while Universal and StudioCanal are owned by Vivendi Universal.

Miramax's Dimension Films arm released ``Spy Kids,'' a $35 million film written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. It features two young siblings (Daryl Sabara, Alexa Vega) who get caught up in the adventures of their secret-agent parents (Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino).

After 24 days, the film had grossed $68.6 million, and could possibly pass the $100 million mark, said Mark Gill, president of Miramax's Los Angeles office.

The North American top 10 contained three other newcomers, each of them opening on Wednesday to get a head start on the Easter holiday.

``Joe Dirt'' (Columbia), a critically savaged white-trash comedy starring David Spade, opened at No. 4 with $8.2 million for the three days (and $11.1 million for five days). The audience for the $16 million film was primarily young men, a studio spokesman said.

``Kingdom Come'' (Fox Searchlight), an urban family drama starring Whoopi Goldberg and rap veteran LL Cool J, bowed at No. 6 with $7.5 million (five days: $9.7 million). Reviews were mixed.

The distaff pop group comedy ``Josie and the Pussycats'' (Universal), a $22 million film based on the comic book series, tuned in at No. 7 with a disappointing $5.2 million (five days: $7.2 million).

Columbia Pictures is a unit of Sony Corp. Fox Searchlight is a unit of Fox Entertainment Group Inc.

The Johnny Depp drugs saga ``Blow'' (New Line) rounded out the top five, slipping two places to No. 5 with $8.0 million. The film's 10-day total is $25.9 million. ``Along Came a Spider'' (Paramount) has $33.7 million, also after 10 days. New Line is a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc., and Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.

The overall box office rose for the third consecutive weekend, when compared with receipts from the year-ago period. The top 12 films grossed about $76.4 million, up 13 percent from last year.

New releases next weekend include the comedies ``Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles,'' marking the return of Australian Paul Hogan's brawny alter ego, and ``Freddy Got Fingered,'' directed by and starring Canadian comic Tom Green.

The top movies in North America -- April 13-15

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Following are the final data for the top 10 movies at the North American box office during the April 13-15 weekend, according to studio figures released Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

Film Three-day Cumulative

1. Spy Kids .......... $12,501,512 

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $68,325,957

2. Along Came a Spider .......... $11,527,443

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $33,901,508

3. Bridget Jones's Diary .......... $10,733,933

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $10,733,933

4. Joe Dirt .......... $8,016,008

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $10,718,014

5. Blow .......... $8,013,188

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $25,913,942

6. Kingdom Come .......... $7,562,284

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $9,714,715

7. Josie and the Pussycats .......... $4,562,455

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $6,574,660

8. Pokemon 3: The Movie .......... $2,707,680

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $12,953,396

9. Enemy at the Gates .......... $2,665,252

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $43,237,128

10. Someone Like You .......... $2,602,960

BOX OFFICE SO FAR:  $22,278,530

Reuters/Variety REUTERS

John L.: Lots of movies, but not a lot of action. Spy Kids continues to dominate while the rock kids barely charted. Renee Z. for some reason is on the cusp of becoming the next Ashley Judd since Judd is starting to fade. It was thought that Josie and the Pussycats would open well, but it would have helped if anyone the age of the target audience had actually heard of the comic or cartoon series from 30 years ago. Joe Dirt opened better than expected, but I don't see David Spade leaving Just Shoot Me anytime soon. I hear Kingdom Come is a comedy that takes place at a funeral which sounds just right for a feel good movie of the mid Spring. Way too much to cover for such mediocre product, but I will somehow get through it.

Renee Zellweger is in her second movie in less than a year in which she has been the title character who has to carry the film. Her first title starring role in "Nurse Betty" had some critical raves, but was a bit too stupid to cross over to mainstream success. Plus, that movie pretty much sucked. This time Rene has had to put on some weight to play a British woman who decides to start a diary that chronicles her life as she interacts with the opposite sex. Hugh Grant and Colin Firth are the 2 main guys vying for her affection. This movie is based on the novel by Helen Fielding which was an international bestseller when it was released a few years ago. This movie is getting the best per screen average of any film in the top ten because there is no real competition. There has been an onslaught of raunch comedies that have failed as of late and the last romantic comedy with Julia Roberts did not do that well, so the part of the public that likes these Bridget Jones type of films. The problem though is that this is another movie that appeals almost exclusively to women to the the extent that guys won't go see it. Zellweger is not hot enough to make men tolerate her squinty eyes and pouty mouth. Also, since there does not seem to be some big hook to the plot, it is not bringing in a record amount of women to the theater to counteract the male boycott. The other problem is that the advertising of the movie focused on RZ in a Playboy bunny outfit and the quick cut of her sliding down a fireman's pole. In some more liberal areas you can see up her skirt as she does the slide, but in this country, you have to watch Access Hollywood or Entertainment Tonight to see her bum. If a movie is going to attract a large female audience, they should focus more on RZ's relationship with her suitors and not so much on her bouncy cleavage and over inflated ass. The Bridget character is supposed to be a bit on the pudgy side, and Z had gained weight to look like the character, but it did not seem to work. Watching the previews, you get no inkling that Renee is out of shape. There is no trust in the material. Marketers have to change the plot and the point to try to sell tickets. Well, people are dumb enough to fall for it, but just to a point. I personally cannot stand American actors who speak in British accents for movies. This is one of the reasons I can't stand Gwyneth Paltrow. Zellweger was part of the early criticism of the film when it was being made when a Yankee from Texas was chosen for the role instead of... uhh... Helena Bohnam Carter. I guess all is forgiven since the Brits are flocking to this film in droves. This movie looks to have a decent run over the next few weeks as there will be very few things out there to take it down.

Hey, look, he has a mullet! That haircut sucks. I have to laugh everytime I see a mullet because that is the cool thing to do. Wouldn't it be funny if the lead character of a comedy had this horrible looking mullet and thought it was really cool even though he would constantly get goofed on? Lost and Found was really funny and sweet, I say we give David Spade another chance. Spade was the one who was key to Chris Farley being funny, sort of like Watson is the true brains behind Holmes. Everyone likes Spade, but he is getting a bit old, so we need another hip reference. How about Kid Rock? Boy, that guy is talented. I love that "American Badass" song. There is nothing else like it. Who would have thought a mixture of rap and rock would blend together so well? I can't think of anything or any other person like him. Joe Dirt is about a guy named Joe who decides to go on a quest to find the parents who abandoned him in the Grand Canyon. Your basic road trip movie. This film was marketed pretty well, and Spade did all of the talk shows, but nothing in the trailers or the basic promotion stood out as being interesting or funny. Mullet jokes went out of style about a month before this movie started pre production. Lost and Found may have been in the top ten at the box office for about 5 minutes and then poof.  Spade was key to getting Chris Farley over as a movie star, but if Farley was still alive today he would probably be getting $15 million a picture while Spade would still be playing second fiddle to Laura San Giancomo.  If this movie had come out in 1999, it might have had a better chance.  The biggest joke in the trailer is Spade saying he can see down a girl's shirt.  Kid Rock shows up because he was hot 2 years ago, but now he is sort of waiting for the next rap or rock song to sample.  David Spade is funny and his old bits on Saturday Night Live like his Michael J. Fox imitation (pre-Parkinsons) and his Tom Petty were my favorites.  It is going to be tough for him to take a leading role in a film because he sort of comes off looking odd and second fiddle.  Maybe they will make a "Buh bye" full length feature and have Helen Hunt co-star.  In the meantime, it may be best that Spade buries Joe in the dirt.

Kingdom Come arrived this week with little fan fare. I don't believe I saw a preview for it more than once.  Whoppi Goldberg and L. L. Cool J. are the household names of the cast while the others like Vivica A. Fox and Jada Pinkett-Smith have been around for several years, but are still not that well known unless you name 2 or three of their acting credits.  The movie is about how the death of the family patriarch dies and the misfit family members go to the funeral to re-evaluate their own lives.  The plot is not very engaging, but the selling point is that it is made up of so many actors that either people know or think they remember from something else. This movie is also hyped as having an all black cast.  Well, that's true, but since the movie is not really about race issues, the impact of that is not as important.  It is just another movie that happens to have a lot of African Americans in it. The movie is the old universal themes that everyone has to deal with sell that marketers give all black movies to tell white people that it is okay for them to see too.  People are smart enough to realize when they are being used to make a politically correct statement about what movies people are supposed to see. The predominance of one race or another is not as important as if the plot is something that is interesting or if the execution of the film is of some quality.  If you made Kingdom Come with an all white, Asian, or Hispanic cast it would probably get the same mainstream response it is getting now, ehh.  Dramas mixed with comedy are hard sells if the plot seems to be too dull.  Funerals are not that pleasant and people prefer to avoid them whenever possible.  Notice that "Four Weddings and a Funeral" had that title and not "Four Funerals and a Wedding."   For this movie to have had a chance it needed to push the appearance of L. L. Cool J. who has shown to be a pretty good actor in previous films which seems to be a natural thing for rappers who tend to make very good dramatic actors.  Whoppi's name is household, but it does not bring people to the movies, so they probably needed to focus a bit more on Cedric the Entertainer who has that popular beer commercial from the Superbowl where he sprayed his date with alcohol.  It would have also helped if there was one scene shown that had a decent laugh or a compelling dramatic moment.  But, alas, it did not and Kingdom Come will be another movie that just fades away. The race of the cast has nothing to do with whether this movie is good or not. Next time, try HBO or Showtime and a funeral plot like this one would go over a bit better and have less of a financial risk.

JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS - FULL REVIEW

I am very surprised that Josie and the Pussycats is not doing well at the box office since it is not that bad of a movie and should have been given a chance, especially by the teen set.  The basic plot has Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, and Rosario Dawson as an aspiring rock group who accidentally fall into a successful music career.  How they get there is the gimmick of the story.  Alan Cummings currently starring in "Spy Kids" as Floop plays a more evil villain in JATP.  He is a manager of a boy band who is not conforming to his will so he eliminates them and decides to turn Josie and her friends into the next Bangles or something.  Through it all we get to here these fake enough to sound real musical numbers.  A message throughout the film is how the music industry seems to be using mind control on the youth of America to buy the compact discs as well as other products like shoes and soda pop and that the teens should think for themselves and not do what everyone else is doing just because it is supposed to be cool. Be yourself and all that jazz.  Parker Posey shows up as a meglomaniacal record executive who just wants to be loved and own the Pussycats.  As usual, she sort of sucks with her oversized mouth.  She can be quite annoying and needs to stick to independent films.  Her annoyance does not hurt the film too much since you are supposed to hate her, and it just comes a bit too naturally.  As for the main three girls, one is great, one is very hot, and the other is not up to snuff.  Let's start with the snuff girl.  Miss Cook has potential to be a good actress and her best work is still in the this is your brain on drugs tirade commercial, but here her too small head and crooked smile just does not go over well.  I do believe she is a good lip sync singer to the Letters to Cleo vocals.  The hottest of the three is Rosario Dawson.  Her character is the deepest because she senses right away that the management wants to focus on Josie and not the other pussycats.  She is fine in the movie and is pleasant to look at with a great smile.  Her acting is nothing special, but that skill is not something that is overly necessary in this film.  The biggest surprise of Josie and the Pussycats is the performance of Tara Reid as Melody.  She plays the dumb  blonde drummer who is always 3 pages behind in the plot.  Every time she spoke on screen I was enjoying myself.  She has the funniest shower scene since "Kentucky Fried Movie" where she is singing and dropping the soap. That was my favorite moment in the film. The other thing that surprised me about this film was the cameo by MTV's Total Request Live's "total tool," Carson Daly.  I hate him and his show, but the way they use him in this movie made me almost take back every bad thing I have ever said about him.  The other thing that may surprise you is how funny the boy band, Du Jour, is in JATP.  The film opens with a performance of this mock boy band and I believe that N Sync or the Backstreet Boys could have recorded this song and no one would no it was a goof.  They are in the film for about 10 minutes, but they almost steal the movie.  The songs in JATP are stupid. I don't get the 6 whole hours, five whole days thing.  I think 25 whole hours and 8 whole days would make more sense in an exaggerated way, but hey, what do I know?  The 2 Du Jour songs are actually the best ones.  I am going to recommend Josie and the Pussycats, but I understand why it did not take off this week.  The movie is based on a 30 year old cartoon that not a lot of kids know about.  The show is not played as much as it once was.  I used to watch the cartoon and a lot of post baby boomers and Gen X people remember the theme song and Casey Casem doing double duty on Josie as their road manager and the voice of Shaggy on Scooby Doo. However, the people that watched it when it was on originally or when it went into syndication in the late 70s and early 80s are not the target audience of this film.  They see the previews and say, "not for me, let's see how fat Renee Zellweger got."   I hope the movie does better on video so we can see a sequel. Dawson and Reid should come back, but maybe we can get Sarah Michelle Gellar to replace Cook as Josie.  Rachael Leigh Cook is just not all that, but the movie is still pretty entertaining.  Final Review:  2 1/2 stars out of 5; B-; 5 1/2 out of 10; thumbs up.  

That is all for this week, no Rest of the top 10 in 10 since this report is later than a Jesse Jackson girlfriend.  The box office will continue to be weak until Mummy Returns comes out.  Also, my Summer 2001 preview is coming up the week after next. Oh the fun we will have. Bye for now.