October 24, 2006

Box Office Update 10/20-10/22: The Prestige Appears Magically on Top

Christopher Nolan's latest reached number one this week, and based on anecdotal evidence from a few forums, it comes as quite the surprise. Not to this guy! I had a feeling that it would open well, based on the strength of the cast and the incessant advertising. I am not trying to make myself seem any better than I really am, I am just happy that a deserving film came out on top of the box office.

Looking at the top three films, I am amazed at the quality of films that are currently in release. I have seen the top three films, and they are all four star movies. I do not recall the last time that such quality was riding high on the charts.

The Prestige took the top slot, and is a wonderful film full of mystery, suspense, and a magical aura. It stars Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as professional and personal rivals who tread in the business of magic. Their lives become inextricably entwined as their attempts to one up the other escalate with devastating results. That is followed by The Departed, the latest Martin Scorsese film now in its third week. This is one of those movies that delivers on so many levels, and deserves the excellent word of mouth that it has been getting. Following close behind, is Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers. The Battle of Iwo Jima is the setting for this WWII based film. It follows the events leading up to and following the taking of the famous photo of the soldiers raising the American flag. The film is as moving as it is unflinching. I would highly recommend that as many of you see as many of these as you can.

There are two other films debuting this week. The first is Flicka, based on the novel of the same name. It finished at number 5. I have to be honest, this holds no interest for me. The other new release is the critically savaged Marie Antoinette, from Sofia Coppola and her first film since the excellent Lost in Translation. This one finished at number 8, and won't likely climb any higher. I am sort of intrigued to see just how bad it is and plan on catching it.

Four films dropped from the list this week: The Guardian (11), Employee of the Month (13), One Night with the King (14), and Jackass Number Two (17).

This Week

Last WeekTitleWknd GrossOverallWeek in release
1NThe Prestige$14,801,808$14,801,8081
22

The Departed

$13,462,256$76,935,1853
3NFlags of Our Fathers$10,245,190$10,245,1901
44Open Season$8,162,729$69,765,0344
5NFlicka$7,703,551$7,703,5511
61

The Grudge 2

$7,652,791$31,332,9932
73Man of the Year$6,935,515$22,416,3952
8NMarie Antoinette$5,361,050$5,361,0501
96The Marine$3,795,160$12,617,8342
105The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning$3,779,829$35,888,9683


Box Office Predictions Recap
I was able to get the first, seventh, and eigth, the rest eluded my guesses. I was close on a few of them, just mixing up a couple of others. I had similar results with my gross predictions, a few of the lower titles I had pretty close, but I wildly overestimated the drawing power of the weekends top films. Let's wait and see what next week brings.

Actual

PredictionTitleWknd GrossPrediction
11The Prestige$14,801,808$21.5 million
32Flags of Our Fathers$10,245,190$18 million
23The Departed$13,462,256$15.5 million
54Flicka$7,703,551$11.5 million
65

The Grudge 2

$7,652,791

$10 million

46Open Season$8,162,729$8 million
77Man of the Year$6,935,515$7.25 million
88Marie Antoinette$5,361,050$5 million
109The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning$3,779,829$4 million
1110The Guardian$3,649,384$3.25 million

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