David Gorgos: The most underwhelming 3-day weekend of the film calendar is upon us, when cinephiles eschew the aisles for the barbecues and the dregs of the Hollywood vaults tend to be unleashed. How unusual, then, to have a high-profile sequel by an acclaimed director hitting theaters.
If you thought Christmas was coming earlier each year, you ain't heard nothin' yet: Halloween is ready to carve up some business. While horror in general has had a rough year, one factor should buck this trend: auteur Rob Zombie has attracted a loyal following. With the Saw franchise locking up the holiday itself, the distributors decided to get two months' jump, striking just as college students are heading back to class. I'll look for numbers around $7000 per screen for the 4-day weekend (all numbers reflect the long holiday).
Meanwhile, silly comedies that don't star Ben Stiller or Will Ferrell tend to open limply. However, a strong marketing campaign and the hilarious presence of Christopher Walken may help Balls of Fury to a decent opening.
Buzz is nonexistent, however, for the thriller Death Sentence, which looks like a typical late-summer dump. In holdover news, expect drops of anywhere from 5 to 25%, as films tend to benefit slightly from the extra day (but not to the extent they do over Memorial Day weekend).
| Film | Gorgos | |
| Halloween | $24.3 million | |
| Balls of Fury | $15.8 million | |
| Superbad | $14.4 million | |
| The Bourne Ultimatum | $10.6 million | |
| Rush Hour 3 | $9.4 million | |
| Mr. Bean's Holiday | $9.1 million | |
| War | $7.5 million | |
| The Nanny Diaries | $6.1 million | |
| Death Sentence | $5.8 million | |
| The Simpsons Movie | $3.6 million |
Content © TLA Entertainment Group
Halloween picture © MGM/Dimension
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