'Harry Potter' loses potency atop box office
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-06-14 08:51

Harry Potter topped the class at the North American box office for a second weekend, although the young wizard lost much of his potency, while a few newcomers, including the troubled remake of "The Stepford Wives," did better than expected.

Hermione (Emma Watson), Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and Ron (Rupert Grint) are back in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."

According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" sold about $35.1 million worth of tickets in the three days beginning June 11, taking the 10-day total for the Warner Bros. movie to $158.1 million. The film lost almost two-thirds of its audience from its opening weekend; studios usually aim for a 50 percent drop.

Leading the four new entries in the top 10, Universal Pictures' "The Chronicles of Riddick," a science-fiction adventure starring Vin Diesel, opened at No. 2 with $24.6 million, at the lower end of industry expectations.

Close behind was the hit cartoon "Shrek 2," which slipped one place to No. 3 with $24 million in its fourth weekend. With $354 million banked so far, the DreamWorks release now ranks as the ninth-highest grossing movie of all time.

"The Stepford Wives," a light comedy about perfect wives, opened at No. 4 with $22.2 million. The film, which starred Nicole Kidman and Matthew Broderick, was plagued by delays and behind-the-scenes tensions, but it received some decent reviews. Executives at Paramount, which distributed the movie domestically under a co-production deal with DreamWorks, had expected the $90 million movie to open in the high teens.

"Garfield: The Movie," a live-action/animated rendering of the famed feline comic strip, clawed its way to No. 5 with $21.7 million. The distributor of the $50 million film, Twentieth Century Fox, had also been hoping for an opening in the high teens.

Sales sizzle

After two weekends in limited release, United Artists' high school comedy "Saved!" expanded nationally, and jumped four places to No. 9 with $2.6 million.

The three new releases propelled overall ticket sales, according to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. The top 12 movies grossed $155.5 million, up 34 percent over the year-ago take. Still, the latest tally was off 15 percent from last weekend, when "Harry Potter" bowed with $93.7 million, the best opening among the three films in the Hogwarts franchise.

In its second weekend, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" lost 63 percent of its audience, a steeper decline than Warner Bros. would have liked, said Dan Fellman, president of distribution at the Time Warner Inc.-owned studio. CNN is also a division of Time Warner Inc.

The previous film in the series, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," fell 52 percent in its second weekend in 2002, while series opener "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" dipped 35 percent (buoyed by the Thanksgiving holiday) in 2001. Even recent underperformer "Van Helsing" fell 60 percent in its second weekend.

The $24.6 million start for "The Chronicles of Riddick," a sequel to the cult hit "Pitch Black," was "right on our expectations," said Nikki Rocco, Universal's president of distribution. However, industry observers had forecast an opening in the $25 million-$30 million range. The movie played mostly to young males, according to Universal data.

Universal Pictures is a unit of NBC Universal, which is controlled by General Electric Co.

"The Stepford Wives," director Frank Oz' remake of the 1975 thriller, played mostly to older women, according to Paramount, whose ad campaign stressed the film's light comedic aspects. Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc. The turmoils included tensions between Oz and his actors as the director shot numerous takes of scenes, and disagreement between the studio and producer Scott Rudin over the ending.

Families comprised a little over half the audience for "Garfield: The Movie," whose title character is voiced by recent Oscar nominee Bill Murray. Twentieth Century Fox is a unit of News Corp.'s Fox Entertainment Group Inc.

In addition to ranking as the ninth-biggest film of all time, DreamWorks' "Shrek 2" is now the No. 1 animated film, surpassing the $339.7 million of "Finding Nemo," which was released last year by the closely held studio's arch-rival, Walt Disney Co.

"Saved!," a satire starring Jena Malone as a devout high-schooler who gets pregnant following an unsuccessful attempt to cure her boyfriend of homosexuality, has earned $3.7 million to date. The $5 million film was released by United Artists, a unit of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.

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