 US July 16 - 18, 2004 |
Box Office: Smith Beats Spidey
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 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — Will Smith ended the two-week reign of Spider-Man 2 at the North American box office as his sci-fi thriller I, Robot opened with better-than-expected weekend ticket sales of about $53.3 million, the film's distributor said on Sunday. The film marks the fifth consecutive summer hit for 20th Century Fox.
The studio had hoped the film would open in the $40 million range for the three days beginning Friday, said Bruce Snyder, president of domestic distribution at Fox. It was budgeted in the $100 million to $120 million range, he said. If estimates hold when final numbers are released later today, it will mark Smith's best opening, surpassing the $52.2 million bow of Men in Black II in 2002.
"There's a coldness to the science-fiction genre, but Will Smith brings a warmth to it and makes it palatable for the ladies," Snyder said.
Indeed, audiences for the film were evenly split by gender, and were evenly on either side of 25 years of age, Snyder said.
Loosely based on a set of stories by Isaac Asimov, I, Robot is set in the year 2035, when robots are integrated into society. Smith plays a Chicago cop who suspects a machine has committed murder. Alex Proyas (Dark City) directed and Bridget Moynahan co-stars.
Sony's Spider-Man 2 slipped to No. 2 with $24.2 million, taking its total to $301.7 million after three weekends, or 19 days. Its 2002 predecessor took 22 days to hit $300 million. However, it was too early to tell whether the new film would reach the $403 million total of the first one, said an official at Sony's Columbia Pictures unit.
 Actress-singer Hilary Duff's new movie, A Cinderella Story, opened at No. 3 with $13.8 million, which was "right on target," said Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures. However, it paled against the recent $24.4 million bow of Mean Girls, starring Duff's teenage rival, Lindsay Lohan. Budgeted at about $19 million, A Cinderella Story revolves around a Los Angeles schoolgirl who finds her Prince Charming (Chad Michael Murray) in an online chat room. The audience was composed mainly of young girls and their mothers, Fellman said.
The Will Ferrell comedy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy fell two places to No. 4 with $13.4 million in its second weekend, taking its total to $56.5 million. The $26 million movie, set in the politically incorrect newsroom of a 1970s TV station, was released by closely held DreamWorks SKG.
Michael Moore's anti-Bush documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11, slipped one place to No. 5 with $7 million. After four weeks, it has earned $93.8 million. It was released by Lions Gate Films.
Walt Disney Co.'s period fable King Arthur, which opened disappointingly last weekend, fell three places to No. 6 with $6.9 million, giving it $37.9 million total. The film was reportedly budgeted at more than $90 million. It lost 54 percent of its audience from last weekend, the biggest drop in the top 10. A Disney spokesman was unavailable for comment.
The top 12 movies grossed $137.8 million for the weekend, according to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, virtually unchanged from both last weekend and the year-ago period, when Smith's Bad Boys II opened at No. 1 with $46.5 million. New releases next weekend include The Bourne Supremacy, starring Matt Damon, and Catwoman, starring Halle Berry. July 19, 2004
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