'Pearl Harbor' opens solidly nationwide
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Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — "Pearl Harbor" opened big, but it will not break box-office records.
The World War II epic took in $39.7 million in its first two days, according to figures provided Sunday by Disney, whose Touchstone Pictures released the movie.
"They're phenomenal numbers for me. It's the biggest opening I've ever had," said producer Jerry Bruckheimer, whose other credits include "Armageddon" and "Gone in 60 Seconds."
Disney would not estimate how much "Pearl Harbor" would gross for the full Memorial Day weekend, but based on its first two days, box office analysts predicted it would pull in at least $75 million by today.
That would make it the second-biggest Memorial Day debut ever, behind $90.2 million for "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" in 1997.
"The Mummy Returns" had a stronger debut than "Pearl Harbor," grossing $68.1 million in just three days when it opened in early May. "The Mummy Returns" took in an estimated $15 million from Friday to Sunday, pushing its total to $162.8 million.
The animated "Shrek" had a terrific second weekend, taking in an estimated $42.6 million. By today, the film will become DreamWorks' highest-grossing animated movie ever, passing the $106.7 million total for "Chicken Run," said Jim Tharp, the studio's head of distribution.
With the hype leading up to "Pearl Harbor," entertainment reporters had speculated the movie could break "The Lost World" record or even top $100 million for the weekend.
"That didn't come from us," said Chuck Viane, Disney's head of distribution. "For those who bandied those numbers around, they didn't put the math to it for how long a film it is."
At just over three hours, "Pearl Harbor" can run three or at most four times a day. At a bit more than two hours each, theaters could run "The Lost World" or "The Mummy Returns" four times or more each day.
"Considering its running time, I think it's a terrific opening," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc., which tracks the box office. "No other three-hour movie has done this well its opening weekend."
"Titanic," which ran a bit more than three hours, grossed an unremarkable $28.6 million its first weekend but held on for months to hit $600 million domestically and $1.8 billion worldwide.
That film benefitted from Leonardo DiCaprio's heartthrob status, which prompted many teen-age girls to see "Titanic" again and again.
"Pearl Harbor" has much the same formula as "Titanic." Both movies dress up universally known historical events with weepy, fictional love stories.
The romantic triangle in "Pearl Harbor," which stars Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale and Josh Hartnett, could result in solid repeat business, said Mitchell Rubenstein, co-chairman of MovieTickets.com, an Internet ticket service.
Rubenstein said he caught "Pearl Harbor" over the weekend and teen-age girls acted favorably to the movie.
"In between the tears, they said they were going to see it again as soon as they could," Rubenstein said. "It was the same reaction as `Titanic' because of the love story and the young stars."
Critics generally slammed "Pearl Harbor," calling the love story flat and the characters dull. But the film had broad appeal, drawing the date crowd with romance, older audiences for the historical aspects and action-oriented male viewers for the film's explosive attack sequence.
MovieTickets.com sold 100,000 advance tickets to "Pearl Harbor," double the number for the company's previous best seller, "The Mummy Returns."
Bruckheimer shrugged off the bad reviews, saying his films rarely appeal to critics.
"We make movies for the people. That's my career," Bruckheimer said. "You're always looking for accolades for what you do, but you can't cry over spilled milk. What you really hope for is that people show up."
