‘From Hell’ Wins Battle Against ‘Boys’
It was a solid, if unspectacular, weekend at the box office, typical of the transition period before holiday movies arrive.
“From Hell,†a thriller starring Johnny Depp as a drug-addicted police detective in search of Jack the Ripper in Victorian London, was the top-grossing film, taking in $11 million.
Coming in a close second with $10.4 million was “Riding in Cars With Boys,†starring Drew Barrymore as a reluctant, self-centered mother.
And, in what has to be one of the more disappointing openings for a Robert Redford film, “The Last Castle,†a prison drama with patriotic overtones, debuted in fifth place with $7.1 million.
“None of the film openings really excited the marketplace, but there was enough business to surpass the business last year,†said Paul Dergaradebian, president of the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co. “‘From Hell’ offered an escape, even though it was a pretty grisly escape. ‘Riding in Cars With Boys’ was a perfect example of counter-programming.â€
He said “The Last Castle†may have been hurt by two other popular male-oriented films--â€From Hell†and the Denzel Washington police drama, “Training Day.â€
Although some Hollywood observers have questioned whether audiences would accept hard-edged movies after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the top movies in each of the last few weeks--â€Don’t Say a Word,†“Training Day†and “From Hellâ€--have all been rated R. *
Weekend Box Office
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Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “From Hell†$11.0 2,305 1 (Fox) $11.0 $4,779 2. “Riding in Cars With Boys†$10.4 2,770 1 (Sony/Columbia) $10.4 $3,756 3. “Training Day†$9.3 2,603 3 (Warner Bros.) $57.3 $3,583 4. “Bandits†$8.3 3,207 2 (MGM) $24.9 $2,589 5. “The Last Castle†$7.1 2,262 1 (DreamWorks) $7.1 $3,134 6. “Serendipity†$5.4 2,610 3 (Miramax) $34.4 $2,087 7. “Corky Romano†$5.3 2,094 2 (Disney/Touchstone) $16.2 $2,535 8. “Don’t Say a Word†$4.2 2,256 4 (Fox) $47.9 $1,869 9. “Iron Monkey†$3.2 1,235 2 (Dimension) $10.7 $2,583 10. “Zoolander†$3.1 2,285 4 (Paramount) $40.0 $1,372
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Source: Exhibitor Relations
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