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Fonda-Lopez
Faceoff Tops At Box Office  |
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Moviegoers
rewarded Jane
Fonda's return
to the big
screen by making
"Monster-in-Law"
the weekend's
top movie,
though the
comedy was short
of a monster
hit.
The total box
office slump
continued for a
12th straight
week, but the
force is
expected to
return next week
when the final
chapter in the
Star Wars saga
"Star Wars:
Episode III
Revenge of the
Sith," hits
theaters.
"Monster-in-Law,"
which pits
Jennifer Lopez
against Fonda as
her villainous
prospective
mother-in-law,
took in $24
million,
according to
studio estimates
Sunday. Fonda's
first major film
role in 15 years
was also Lopez's
strongest box
office opening
performance,
ahead of 2002's
"Maid in
Manhattan,"
which opened
with $18.7
million.
J.Lo versus J.Fo
earned $3
million more
than another
comedic take on
familial combat,
"Kicking &
Screaming," in
which Will
Ferrell faces
off against his
father and youth
soccer coaching
rival Robert
Duvall.
The weekend's
other major
opener, the Jet
Li action flick
"Unleashed,"
took in a
respectable
$10.6 million.
Last week's box
office champ,
the Orlando
Bloom Crusades
epic "Kingdom of
Heaven," slipped
to fourth place
with $9.6
million, a 51
percent drop
from its opening
weekend.
The total box
office take was
down 6.7 percent
from the same
weekend last
year, when
"Troy" debuted
with $46.8
million, but it
was up 21.7
percent from
last weekend.
"I'm encouraged
by these
numbers," said
Paul
Dergarabedian,
president of
box-office
tracker
Exhibitor
Relations. "This
shows there is
an audience out
there. As we
head into the
week of 'Star
Wars,' this is
definitely a
positive-looking
marketplace."
Studio
executives said
they were not
worried with the
box office
results so far.
"Star Wars" will
be followed by
several big
films, including
the animated
"Madagascar" and
the Adam Sandler-Chris
Rock remake of
"The Longest
Yard."
"There's nothing
wrong with our
business that a
good movie won't
fix," said David
Tuckerman, head
of distribution
for New Line
Cinema, which
released
"Monster-in-Law."
"'Star Wars'
will jump-start
us."
None of the
major studios
are planning any
wide releases
next weekend,
figuring that
any new movie
will be buried
by the sixth and
final episode of
George Lucas'
influential
sci-fi saga.
"Because it's
the final
installment,
it's going to go
beyond the
typical sci-fi
audience. It's a
cultural
phenomenon.
Virtually
everyone has a
vested interest
in this movie,"
Dergarabedian
said.
The only contest
will be for
second place.
"Hopefully we'll
still be a
choice for
families," said
Nikki Rocco,
head of
distribution for
Universal, which
released
"Kicking &
Screaming."
Estimated ticket
sales for Friday
through Sunday
at North
American
theaters,
according to
Exhibitor
Relations Co.
Inc. Final
figures will be
released Monday.
1.
"Monster-in-Law,"
$24 million.
2. "Kicking &
Screaming," $21
million.
3. "Unleashed,"
$10.6 million.
4. "Kingdom of
Heaven," $9.6
million.
5. "Crash," $7.2
million.
6. "House of
Wax," $6.3
million.
7. "The
Hitchhiker's
Guide to the
Galaxy," $4.8
million.
8. "The
Interpreter,"
$4.4 million.
9. "XXX: State
of the Union,"
$2.2 million.
10. "Mindhunters,"
$2 million.
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