U.S. actress Angelina Jolie (top left) and actor Brad Pitt (bottom right), stars of the new action film 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith', talk to media at the film's premiere in Mexico City, June 8. - CONTRIBUTED
LOS ANGELES (AP):
OFF-SCREEN COUPLE or not, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had enough on-screen chemistry to lift their assassin tale Mr. and Mrs. Smith to a robust US$51 million (euro42 million) opening weekend.
The other new wide releases, The Honeymooners, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D and High Tension, opened weakly, contributing to Hollywood's 16th-straight weekend of declining revenues compared to last year, according to studio estimates yesterday.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith debuted amid a tabloid fury about whether Pitt and Jolie were an item. Pitt and his wife, Jennifer Aniston, separated in January after four and a half years of marriage. Aniston filed for divorce in March.
RIVAL ASSASSINS
In the movie, Pitt and Jolie play a husband and wife who discover they are rival assassins. In real life, they have been coy about their relationship, declining to confirm or deny if they are involved.
"I think it was a mixture of movie and hype," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "The combined interest in the movie itself and the personal lives of these two stars conspired to create a pretty strong opening weekend."
The crowds for Mr. and Mrs. Smith were 56 per cent female and 57 per cent older than 25, segments of the audience that are typically less inclined to rush out to catch a movie on opening weekend. That could bode well for the movie's longevity at the box office if fans talk it up to friends.
GOOD MOVIE
"We will see how much was tabloid fodder versus how it plays to audiences," said Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for 20th Century Fox, which released Mr. and Mrs. Smith. "If it hangs in there, it's a good movie with a great-looking cast that really delivers. If it disappears, then it was a lot of hype."
The previous weekend's top movie, Madagascar, slipped to second place with $17.1 million (euro14 million), raising its total domestic gross to $128.4 million (euro105 million).
Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith was third with $14.9 million (euro 12.2 million), lifting its total to $332.1 million (euro 271.6 million). At No. four was The Longest Yard with $13.5 million (euro 11 million), pushing its sum to $118.1 million (euro 96.6 million).
Sharkboy and Lavagirl, a family action yarn from Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids), had a so-so opening of $12.5 million (euro10.2 million), coming in at No. 5.
Cedric the Entertainer's The Honeymooners, an update of Jackie Gleason's 1950s sit-com, premiered at No. 7 with just $5.8 million (euro4.7 million).
Howl's Moving Castle, the latest from Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away), debuted strongly in limited release, taking in $401,000 (euro327,909) in 36 theaters, averaging a healthy $11,139 a cinema (euro9,109).
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through yesterday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released today.
TOP TEN
1. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, US$51.05 million (euro42 million).
2. Madagascar, US$17.1 million (euro14 million).
3. Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, US$14.9 million (euro 12.2 million).
4. The Longest Yard, US$13.5 million (euro11 million).
5. The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D, US$12.5 million (euro 10 million).
6. Cinderella Man, US$9.5
million (euro7.8 million).
7. The Honeymooners, US$5.8 million (euro4.7 million).
8. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, US$5.7
million (euro4.7 million).
9. Monster-in-Law, US$2.6 million (euro2 million).
10. Crash, US$1.9 million (euro1.6 million).
Taken from the Daily Gleaner, Monday June 13, 2005
