‘Ocean’s Eleven’ Does It by the Numbers

The star-laden “Ocean’s Eleven� rode the crest of media attention into theaters and swept away an estimated $39.2 million over the weekend. Bolstered by hearty reviews, the caper film easily outdistanced all other fare, accounting for nearly one of every two tickets sold over what is traditionally a drowsy pre-holiday weekend.

“Ocean’s� appears to be the biggest December weekend debut ever, breaking records for each of its first three days, says Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros. Playing in 3,075 theaters, it outdistanced last year’s Mel Gibson comedy “What Women Want,� which got off to a $33.6-million start. That film ended up grossing more than $180 million.

As expected, the audience was weighted slightly toward females, with patrons older than 25 holding a slight edge (54%), according to Fellman, though he’s encouraged at the percentage of under-25 admissions as well. “The business we did on ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ this weekend proved that there is no dead space during the year, only less competitive dates,� says Fellman of the film’s strong debut, a personal best for many of its cast members, such as Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. Only George Clooney has had stronger openings, with “A Perfect Storm� and “Batman & Robin,� which each topped $40 million their opening weekends.

Together “Ocean’s Eleven� and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone� (which gobbled up many November records) are currently playing on about 40% of the nation’s screens. They also give WB eight films that have opened in the top slot this year, a period in which the studio has grossed $1 billion for the second time (the first was 1999, with films like “The Matrix� and “Analyze This�).

“Harry Potter� fell to No. 2 in its fourth weekend, effectively marking time until the Christmas recess--when it should get a second wind--with a buoyant $14.8-million estimate (a 37% drop from last weekend). It now has a 24-day total of nearly $240 million--an average of almost $10 million a day. “Harry� looks to surpass “Shrek� ($267 million) as the highest-grossing movie of the year by the Yuletide.

The two Warner Bros. hits left little room for the other films in the top 10. “Ocean’s Eleven� soaked up most of the available adult audience, submerging the action adventure “Behind Enemy Lines,� which dropped 54% in its second weekend, to an estimated $8.1 million and a total of $30.9 million in 10 days. Similarly, “Spy Game� took it on the chin, declining 58%, to about $4.6 million in its third weekend. With $54.1 million so far, “Spy Game� is showing wobbly legs and may have trouble maintaining visibility in the swell of holiday season movies arriving over the next couple of weeks.

For a film that’s been around for six weeks, “Monsters, Inc.� is displaying resilience, with the most recent weekend declining only 27%, to approximately $6.7 million and a grand total of more than $212 million.

Even with the powerhouse debut of “Ocean’s,� box-office totals for the weekend barely kept pace with inflation over the same period last year, according to box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. The top 12 movies grossed an estimated $83.7 million, a scant 3% ahead of last year. As Christmas approaches, attendance should be on the upswing. Next weekend brings two new movies: Tom Cruise’s drama “Vanilla Sky,� directed by Cameron Crowe, as well as the youth appeal comedy “Not Another Teen Movie.�

The lower half of the top 10 is basically marquee fodder, with the exception being ninth-place “Amelie,� the French film that’s on only 221 screens but brought in an additional $1.1 million over the past weekend, totaling more than $11 million very early in its run.

Of the three comedies currently in theaters, only one is thriving. The Farrelly brothers’ hit comedy “Shallow Hal� has grossed nearly $65 million in the past five weekends, the most recent contributing $2.5 million. Martin Lawrence’s “Black Knight� has been defeated after only three weeks, with $3.2 million expected for the weekend and about $27 million to date. Ditto “Out Cold,� which shouldered a frigid $1.4 million over the weekend and a little more than $12 million to date.

John Travolta’s “Domestic Disturbance� is nearing the end of its run after six weeks, coming in with just under $1 million for the weekend and close to $44 million so far.

In the specialized arena, “In the Bedroom� is doing well, grossing $80,000 over the weekend in just six theaters and $372,000 to date. The Bosnian film “No Man’s Land� opened in New York to $23,000 on two screens and is due in L.A. before year’s end. And the Iranian film “Baran� opened for an Academy Award qualifying run in New York and Los Angeles in two theaters for $19,500.