Chinese Studies - 'Pirates' sinks but stays on top

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'Pirates' sinks but stays on top

(AP)
Updated: 2007-06-04 08:45


LOS ANGELES - "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" hit an ebb tide
in its second weekend but still had enough buoyancy to hold the No. 1
spot at the box office.


With a $43.2 million weekend, Disney's blockbuster sequel sank a steep
62.4 percent from its $114.7 million opening a week earlier, according to
studio estimates Sunday.

Universal's romantic comedy "Knocked Up," starring Katherine Heigl as a
career woman who gets pregnant from a one-night stand with a slacker
(Seth Rogen), debuted a strong No. 2 with $29.3 million. The movie's
weekend gross equaled its entire production budget.

"It looks like a lot of people wanted to get knocked up this weekend,"
said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

MGM's thriller "Mr. Brooks," with Kevin Costner as a mild-mannered
businessman who moonlights as a serial killer, premiered in fourth place
with $10 million.

Picturehouse's sports tale "Gracie," featuring Elisabeth Shue in a film
inspired by tragic events in her own life and her teenage days as the
only girl on a boys soccer team, opened at No. 7 with $1.4 million.

The big drop for "Pirates of the Caribbean" was typical of summer flicks
that open to colossal numbers. In the second weekend, Sony's "Spider-Man
3" tumbled 62 percent from its record $151.1 million debut, while
DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek the Third" fell 57 percent from its $121.6
million opening.

While big films once had longer shelf life, most blockbusters today aim
to pack in the crowds the first weekend before audiences move on to the
next hit. By the second weekend, most people who wanted to catch a big
movie already have seen it.

"It's exactly where I expected it," said Chuck Viane, head of
distribution for Disney. "Once you get everybody who is that avid, crazy
fan that's going to see it the first week, then you rely on people who
never go out the first week and the people who just come back and back
and back."

With its mix of serious themes and bawdy humor, director Judd Apatow's
"Knocked Up" became a rare R-rated comedy to click with a mainstream
audience, much as his "The 40-Year-old Virgin" did two years ago. Most
Hollywood comedies have a softer tone to land a PG-13 rating.

"This could not be reduced to PG-13 just to get a broader audience. It
would have lost the beauty of the whole film," said Nikki Rocco, head of
distribution for Universal. "It's amazing how Judd hits the exact buttons
of what average people go through in their lives."

Overseas, "At World's End" did an additional $105.4 million over the
weekend to bring its worldwide total to $625.3 million.

Domestically, the movie has grossed $216.5 million, trailing last
summer's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," which had a $135.6
million opening and had taken in $258.4 million after its second weekend.

"Shrek the Third" took in $26.7 million domestically to lift its total to
$254.6 million. It is rolling out gradually overseas.

With $7.5 million, "Spider-Man 3" padded its domestic haul to $318.3
million. Worldwide, "Spider-Man 3" has taken in $844 million, surpassing
2002's "Spider-Man" ($821 million) to become the biggest hit in Sony's
history.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian
theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be
released Monday.

1. "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," $43.2 million.

2. "Knocked Up," $29.3 million.

3. "Shrek the Third," $26.7 million.

4. "Mr. Brooks," $10 million.

5. "Spider-Man 3," $7.5 million.

6. "Waitress," $2 million.

7. "Gracie," $1.4 million.

8. "Bug," $1.22 million.

9. "28 Weeks Later," $1.2 million.

10. "Disturbia," $1.1 million.












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