December 9 - 11, 2005
THTRS = Number of Screens
* Denotes new release.
Click on title to read CB Review
| 1. | The Chronicles of Narnia:The Lion, the Witchand the Wardrobe * |
| $67,064,000 - Total: $67,064,000 | |
| LW: N WR: 1 THTRS: 3616 |
| 2. | Syriana |
| $12,030,000 - Total: $13,529,000 | |
| LW: 19 WR: 3 THTRS: 1752 |
| 3. | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
| $10,315,000 - Total: $244,119,000 | |
| LW: 1 WR: 4 THTRS: 3728 |
| 4. | Walk the Line |
| $5,750,000 - Total: $77,003,000 | |
| LW: 3 WR: 4 THTRS: 3034 |
| 5. | Yours, Mine and Ours |
| $5,150,000 - Total: $40,917,000 | |
| LW: 4 WR: 3 THTRS: 3210 |
| 6. | Aeon Flux |
| $4,625,000 - Total: $20,282,000 | |
| LW: 2 WR: 2 THTRS: 2608 |
| 7. | Just Friends |
| $3,900,000 - Total: $26,464,000 | |
| LW: 5 WR: 3 THTRS: 2464 |
| 8. | Pride and Prejudice |
| $2,491,000 - Total: $26,385,000 | |
| LW: 8 WR: 5 THTRS: 1335 |
| 9. | Chicken Little |
| $2,256,000 - Total: $127,230,000 | |
| LW: 7 WR: 6 THTRS: 2326 |
| 10. | Rent |
| $2,000,000 - Total: $26,912,000 | |
| LW: 6 WR: 3 THTRS: 1971 |
Aslan roared into theaters this weekend. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe may have the longest title of any movie released this year, but it also managed the third largest opening weekend for 2005. It's a distant third, though. Star Wars and Harry Potter each claimed numbers in the hundreds of millions. The big question now is how King Kong, the last blockbuster of 2005, will fare.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe opened among a bizarre flood of religious/anti-religious rhetoric which probably didn't help it's box office performance, but there's no reason to complain...yet. Given that it made over $100 million internationally it stands to easily recover it's $180 million dollar budget and copious advertising expenses. But it's not the kind of success that its producers were probably hoping for. How will all of this play into future Narnia films?
With six other potential projects (Narnia author Lewis penned seven books in the Chronicles) it's completely possible to continue the film series from a content stand point. The problem lies in financial success. The Harry Potter films have each done less well than the previous in overall box office proceeds, right down to the latest entry, Goblet of Fire. They've still turned healthy profits, though, leaving ample room and reason to continue the franchise. The Narnia series is bound to encounter the same decreased box office numbers with each successive film, but will the overall sales be enough to keep the franchise afloat for six more movies? Insert your wild speculation here. It's a tough thing to predict.
Syriana fell flat on it's face in wide release. Some of that can be blamed on opening in Aslan's shadow, but a big part of it lies with the fact that the movie just doesn't have general appeal. It performed superbly in limited release in NY and LA, making more than $50,000 per theater. In wide release it has dropped significantly, only making $12 million overall this week. It faces the likelihood of not turning a profit (it bears a modest $50 million budget), even after DVD sales roll in. It may be just another sign that the new box office norm is much lower than it used to be, but more likely it indicates that audiences are just not interested in spending their holiday weekends watching movies with direct political messages.
Speaking of the box office condition, we're coming up on the end of the year and things don't look good. The box office is lower for the year than it was this time three years ago. Some are blaming the drop on the fact that this year has seen very poor quality films. I personally don't buy that, and here's why: for the first time in nearly fifteen years the movie industry is facing a drop in overall receipts. Movies are getting too darned expensive. With average ticket prices hovering around $8.50 ($6.00 for matinees) and concession stands charging outrageous fees for popcorn and soda, it can cost a family of four around $30-$50 to go to the movies and that's without any munchies to accentuate the experience. Tack onto that the increase in cost of living due to fuel prices and the short amount of time between theatrical release and more budget-friendly DVD releases and you've got the makings of a movie industry in overall financial decline. How will the studios respond? Again, insert your wild speculation. You never know quite what Hollywood is going to do. I can only hope it involves fewer comic book character revivals and an end to Wayans brother films altogether.
