By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY
Though analysts predicted that Kung Fu Panda would top the box office over the weekend, few expected the audience that would drive it to No. 1.
BOX OFFICE CHART: The weekend's top 10 films
Paramount Pictures' story of a martial arts-loving panda took in $60 million, according to studio estimates from Nielsen EDI.
The debut, about $15 million above projections, not only cracked the top five openings for original animated movies and loosened Pixar Studios' grip on the genre, but it did so with a surprisingly grown-up crowd.
According to a studio exit poll, 71% of the audience was 17 and older, and 51% of Panda-goers were older than 25.
"That's an amazing statistic," says Jeff Bock, analyst for the industry tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. "That means the movie drew heavily on fanboys, those young men who love the martial arts. (Animation) is starting to break out of that family-only mode."
That's going to mean more competition for Disney and its animation studio Pixar, which until now had a stranglehold on the top six spots for original animated movies.
If estimates hold up, Panda will be the fifth-largest on record, behind The Incredibles ($70.5 million), Finding Nemo ($70.3 million), Monsters, Inc. ($62.6 million) and Cars ($60.1 million).
On Nov. 7, Paramount fires another animated shot with Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, and on Nov. 9, Universal offers The Tale of Despereaux, about a mouse who falls for a princess.
"The technology is cheaper than ever, and this and the Shrek movies are showing that any studio can get into the game," Bock says. "The time is right to give Disney a backhand."
Beyond No. 1:
•You Don't Mess With the Zohan grossed $40 million, about $5 million above projections. The comedy marks Adam Sandler's fourth movie to open with at least $40 million. "He's one of the most consistent actors in Hollywood," says Rory Bruer of Sony Pictures, which released Zohan.
•Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was third with $22.8 million. That brings its overall sales to $253 million.
•Sex and the City was fourth with $21 million. The movie has brought in $99.3 million in 10 days.
•The Strangers placed fifth with $8.8 million, which is respectable for a horror film.
After weeks of being down, ticket sales surged 32% over the same weekend last year.
2 comments:
It pisses me off that Adam Sandler makes so much money of God-awful movies. He's had one or 2 passable films, but that was a loooooong time ago.
Yeah, the Sandler brand success is mystifying. He should be in Jamie Kennedy company.
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