|
'Stealth' enters hostile airspace at box office
2005-07-31
American movie "The Island": Scarlett Johansson |
|
LOS ANGELES - After two weeks as the box office bridesmaid, "Wedding Crashers" is on track to take over the lead this weekend, while the new action-adventure film "Stealth" might have trouble taking off.As with last weekend's bomb, "The Island," which opened to a dismal $12.4 million, Sony's "Stealth" has an innocuous title, a well-known director (Rob Cohen of "XXX"), and a cast that doesn't include guaranteed box office draws (Jamie Foxx, Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel). The PG-13 release, chock-full of high-octane action scenes, revolves around three highly trained fighter pilots who must fight a drone bomber that turns rogue and has the potential to start a war. Sony is hoping that Foxx's recent Oscar win for "Ray" will help business. Most observers think "Stealth" will land in the mid- to high-teen millions, just behind New Line's Vince Vaughn-Owen Wilson comedy "Wedding Crashers," which dropped just 24% last weekend and could accordingly hit the $20 million mark in its third round. That would represent a drastic change from the comparable weekend last year, when M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" grossed $51 million. Even the underwhelming "The Manchurian Candidate" opened to $20 million, boosted by the star power of Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep. One thing going for the box office is variety. While "Stealth" should be the choice for young males, females might be lured to the movies by "Must Love Dogs," a romantic comedy starring Diane Lane and John Cusack. The Warner Bros. Pictures release from writer-director Gary David Goldberg centers on a recently divorced preschool teacher (Lane) who is encouraged by her tight-knit family to start playing the field again. Also starring in the PG-13 film are Elizabeth Perkins, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher Plummer and Stockard Channing. Industry insiders expect the film to gross in the $10 million-$12 million range. The family choice -- for those who have grown tired of Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka impression in reigning champ "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" -- is Disney's "Sky High." The PG-rated film centers on Will (Michael Angarano), the son of superhero parents (Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston), who is sent to Sky High, a school is responsible for turning out tomorrow's superheroes. Without much star power, the movie from director Mike Mitchell ("Surviving Christmas," "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo") is unlikely to pass $12 million in its opening frame. In limited release, ThinkFilm will bow "The Aristocrats," from director Paul Provenza and producer Penn Gillette. The unrated documentary, which bowed at the Sundance Film Festival, features 100 well-known comics telling the same filthy joke, which has been passed around since vaudeville days. It opens in four theaters in Los Angeles and New York. Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Two US films draw ire of Gulf Arab censors (2006-04-17)Actors Back Bill to Protect Likenesses (2006-03-24)'Stealth' enters hostile airspace at box office (2005-07-31)New 'Gladiator' DVD boasts Crowe commentary (2005-05-28)Cusack, Plummer join pack of 'Dogs' (2004-10-06)
| 
