Apocalypto Wins American Hearts, #1 at Box Office
mike...@comic.com
POSTED: 1:24 a.m. EST, December 11, 2006
Story Highlights
· "Apocalypto" debuts at No. 1 despite Mel Gibson's troubles
· $14.2 million haul modest compared to "Passion of the Christ"
· Sony romance "The Holiday" is No. 2 movie with $13.5 million
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Mel Gibson's bloody epic "Apocalypto"
debuted as the No. 1 weekend movie, proving the filmmaker still can
deliver a winner despite his drunken-driving arrest and anti-Semitic
rant last summer.
"Apocalypto," a Disney release set in the Mayan civilization and told
in an obscure Mayan language, opened with $14.2 million, according to
studio estimates Sunday.
It was a modest haul compared to the $83.8 million opening weekend of
Gibson's last movie, the 2004 religious blockbuster "The Passion of the
Christ," which went on to do $370 million domestically.
But "Apocalypto" overcame the baggage of Gibson's personal troubles as
well as its difficult subject matter, which features a no-name cast in
a hyper-violent tale that includes beheadings and images of hearts
ripped from people's chests. (Review)
"The movie obviously succeeds on its own level. I think people probably
are a bit on the surprised side around town that it's No. 1," said
Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. "Two months ago, nobody
would have bet on that."
Sony's romance "The Holiday" debuted at No. 2 with $13.5 million.
Directed by Nancy Meyers, the movie stars Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet,
Jack Black and Jude Law in the story of American and British women who
swap homes for the holidays and find love in the process.
The Warner Bros. thriller "Blood Diamond," starring Leonardo DiCaprio,
Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou, opened at No. 5 with $8.5
million. Set against Sierra Leone's civil war in the 1990s, the film
follows a mercenary pursuing a rare diamond.
Also from Warner Bros., the holiday comedy "Unaccompanied Minors,"
about a group of kids running amok while stranded at an airport on
Christmas Eve, premiered at No. 6 with $6.2 million.
The Warner Bros. animated hit "Happy Feet" and Sony's James Bond
adventure "Casino Royale," which had been the top two movies for three
straight weekends, slipped to Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.
"Happy Feet" took in $12.7 million, raising its total to $137.7
million. "Casino Royale" grossed $8.8 million, lifting its total to
$128.9 million.
The overall box office fell sharply, with the top 12 movies grossing
$86.8 million, down 25 percent from the same weekend last year, when
the blockbuster "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe" opened with $65.6 million.
Disney reported that Gibson's "Apocalypto" drew solid crowds across the
board, with moviegoers equally split between men and women and the core
of the audience ranging from 18 to 45.
The publicity over Gibson's problems and his contriteness since last
summer may have stoked interest in "Apocalypto," said Paul
Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.
"Whenever I tell people I saw the movie, they'd be like, 'You saw it?
How was it?' There was a huge curiosity factor," Dergarabedian said. "A
movie about Mayan civilization was never destined to be a big hit, let
alone a No. 1 movie. But through Disney's marketing, which highlights
Mel Gibson -- I believe they associated him very closely with the movie
-- I think that strategy paid off."
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/11/box.office.ap/index.html
Mike Lance
http://www.ComedyCentral.com