Violent crime edges out comedy at movies
By David Germain
AP Movie Writer
LOS ANGELES — Movie-goers preferred violent crime to the comedic variety as "Training Day" remained the No. 1 weekend film, edging the bank-robbery comedy "Bandits," which had a weak debut.
1. "Training Day," $13.55 million.
"Training Day," starring Denzel Washington as a corrupt narcotics detective, was the top film for the second straight weekend with $13.55 million.
At the boxoffice
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through yesterday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures are to be released today.
2. "Bandits," $13.46 million.
3. "Corky Romano," $9.3 million.
4. "Serendipity," $9 million.
5. "Don't Say a Word," $6.8 million.
6. "Iron Monkey," $6 million.
7. "Zoolander," $5.1 million.
8. "Joy Ride," $4.9 million.
9. "Max Keeble's Big Move," $4 million.
10. "Hearts in Atlantis," $2.8 million.
"Bandits," featuring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett, was No. 2 with $13.46 million.
"Corky Romano," a mob comedy starring "Saturday Night Live" regular Chris Kattan, opened in third place with $9.3 million. The weekend's other wide-release debut, the martial-arts adventure "Iron Monkey," was No. 6 with $6 million.
Distributor MGM had expected "Bandits" to open in the $20 million range. The movie received generally positive reviews, though some critics complained its two-hour running time was excessive.
"Bandits" opened very wide, playing 3,207 cinemas, averaging an anemic $4,198 a theater. Playing in 2,712 theaters, "Training Day" averaged $4,994 after averaging a strong $8,315 in its opening weekend.
MGM blamed the weak showing of "Bandits" on nervousness over anthrax scares and government warnings of further terrorist attacks. The film was aimed at older adult audiences more likely to watch news coverage and stay home in times of crisis, said Robert Levin, MGM's head of distribution.
"Bandits" was especially hurt on opening day Friday, after a new anthrax case was reported involving an NBC news employee, Levin said.
"People became really attentive to the news that day," Levin said. "Everyone understands blizzards and earthquakes. In L.A., you don't go to the movies after an earthquake. You don't go to the movies during a blizzard in the Midwest. This was a self-imposed blizzard where a lot of people just didn't want to go out of the house."
Yet "Training Day," also targeted for older adults, held up well. Jeff Goldstein, general sales manager for "Training Day" distributor Warner Bros., said the movie did slightly less business Friday than anticipated, presumably because of fallout from the attacks.
"We got hurt a little bit, particularly in Eastern cities, because of the day's news," Goldstein said.
The poor showing of "Bandits" may have resulted from "Training Day" siphoning off male movie-goers rather than audiences staying home because of terrorism, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.
"It wouldn't just happen to their movie," Dergarabedian said. "If there was a scare keeping people out of theaters, it would happen across-the-board."
Overall, Hollywood had a healthy weekend. The top 12 films grossed $78.8 million, up 6.4 percent from the same weekend a year ago. The top 12 films were down 5 percent compared with last weekend, though.
David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive," a dark tale of love and obsession in Hollywood, had a solid opening in limited release. "Mulholland Drive" grossed $708,000 in 68 theaters for a strong $10,412 average. The movie expands to about 200 theaters next weekend.
"My First Mister," a drama starring Albert Brooks and Leelee Sobieski, had a so-so debut in limited release, grossing $105,000 in 33 theaters for a $3,182 average.
