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Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt), Skinner (voiced by Ian Holm) and Linguini (voiced by Lou Romano) in RATATOUILLE (2007).
© Walt Disney/Pixar

Pixar's RATATOUILLE Fries a Victory

By: Jarrod Sarafin, News Editor
Date: Sunday, July 01, 2007

Two demographics were the focus this weekend and both of them clearly showed up for this weekend’s round of movies. For the 3 day weekend, Remy the Rat (Voiced by Patton Oswalt) lead Pixar’s Ratatouille to victory scoring big with family audiences everywhere. The Disney animation laughed its way to 47.2 million in box office receipts from Friday to Sunday averaging a very nice $11,986 per showing with each of its 3,940 theater screenings. Director Brad Bird seems to have the knacking ability of “doing no wrong” for Pixar Studios.

Sure, this opening gross isn’t as good as Pixar’s last feature film, Cars, which took in 60.0 million on its June 9^th, 2006 release. That doesn’t spell doom for Disney though... Cars didn’t have as much competition and the storyline for Cars was more kid oriented. The fact that a movie about a rat grabbed up this much money in its opening weekend points out that Disney’s bean counters have nothing to worry about. You consider that Ratatouille has little to no competition for its demographic over the next few weeks and it seems obvious that this latest vehicle will end up scoring big for the remainder of the summer.

The “other” demographic that audiences responded to with their hard earned cash is the action genre. Fox’s Live Free or Die Hard grabbed up 48.1 million over its 5 day opening release. Pretty respectable numbers for the studio when you consider they did not market this as an “event”. At least not in the style of Spider-Man 3, Pirates 3 and what Paramount is pulling out for Monday’s Transformers. It was released in only 3,408 theaters (not the industry standard this summer, 4000) and it was a local release first and foremost. The latest installment of John McClane grabbed up 33.1 million over the 3 day weekend landing in 2^nd place averaging $9,727 in its 3,408 theaters. Next week, it does have some major competition for its related action genre with the Autobots opening up on an “event” level status. We shall see if good word of mouth gives Ratatouille and Live Free or Die Hard good legs to stand on (Stays in the top 3-4 slots over the next month) or if McClane drops fast due to overwhelming competition.

However, Universal does have something to worry about. Its disaster comedy Evan Almighty has scored some negative reviews and that doesn’t bode well for a movie with a budget reaching the upper stratosphere of 175 million. I really can’t believe they continued with the project once the budget touched the 130-150 mil range. Or if they did go ahead, why didn’t they push the opening to a different day? Either way, the decisions surrounding their sequel to Bruce Almighty is questionable at best. The film (starring Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman) has pulled in only 60.6 million in 10 days of release. American Comedies are not the most successful ventures in oversea markets so the question remains whether this film can overcome a 175 million budget. I say it can’t even with a running time of only 1 hr & 30 minutes. This summer is mixed results for Universal. They have to be pleased with their Knocked Up success but Evan Almighty is most likely bringing them down.

The same can’t be said for MGM Studios. They have to be pleased with their numbers in regards to their Stephen King adapted 1408. In just two weeks of release, the horror has scared up 40.3 million in receipts against some overwhelming competition. With a budget of only 25 million, I’m sure they’re thrilled with their revenue. Over the past 3 days, 1408 grabbed up 10.6 million landing in 4^th place.

Fox’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer follows behind in 5^th place over the weekend taking in 9.0 million in box office cash. This moves its domestic total to 114.8 million. As of last week overseas, it has grabbed another 59.1 million. This puts the 130 budgeted film at 173.9 million in worldwide totals in its 2 weeks of release. When this weekend’s overseas numbers come in on Tuesday, it will probably have crossed the 200 million marker worldwide.

While Universal may be in “distress” mode for Evan, they have all smiles about their Judd Apatow helmed comedy, Knocked Up. The comedy continues to rake in more cash into their profit margins. Knocked landed in 6^th place this weekend taking in another 7.4 million adding its domestic gross to 122.4 million in receipts. With a budget of only 30 million, this is obviously a success for the studio.

Warner Bro’s ensemble crime comedyOcean’s Thirteen follows behind in 7^th place over the weekend taking in 6.0 million. This box office take for the weekend accomplished two things for Warner Bros. It landed Ocean’s Thirteen over the 100 mil domestic mark and it also landed it over the 200 mil worldwide mark. Over the course of its first 24 days of release, it has grabbed 102 million here in the states and another 100.0 million overseas.

This will probably be the last weekend I mention Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End in the top 10 of our Mania Box Office Report. Disney continues pulling it out of theaters (taking it out of 640 more theaters this weekend) and it looks as if its run is nearly done. The third installment in the Pirates franchise landed in 8^th place this weekend taking in 5.0 million in cash. This weekend take did two things for Disney. It has now surpassed Spider-Man 3 in worldwide totals and it has hit the 900 million worldwide mark over the past 3 days. Its domestic gross is sitting at 295.7 million and its overseas numbers is now at 608.9 mil making a worldwide grand total of 904.6 mil.

The other film which scored major success this weekend besides Ratatouille and Live Free or Die Hard is Michael Moore’s Sicko documentary. His latest docu-drama expanded to 441 theaters over the weekend taking in 4.5 million in 9^th place. With only 441 theaters, this means it had an eye popping average of $10,204 per showing in each of those theaters. Moore certainly has something to celebrate on his documentary focusing on the health industry. Obviously, he won’t pull in as much money as his last documentary centering on 9-11 but that one was an event for him. This one is a little quieter in the controversial category.

The final 10^th place this weekend goes to another debuting film, Evening. Focus Films only released Evening in 977 theaters across the country and it scored 3.5 million in box office receipts averaging $3,595 per showing.

Rank	Movie	Opening $	Theaters	Average	Total $
1	Ratatouille	47.2 mil	3,940	$11,986	47.2 mil
2	Live Free or Die Hard	33.1 mil	3,408	$9,727	48.1 mil
3	Evan Almighty	15.0 mil	3,636	$4,149	60.6 mil
4	1408	10.6 mil	2,733	$3,882	40.3 mil
5	Fantastic Four: Rise of Silver Surfer	9.0 mil	3,424	$2,628	114.8 mil
6	Knocked Up	7.4 mil	2,678	$2,769	122.4 mil
7	Ocean’s Thirteen	6.0 mil	2,903	$2,084	102.0 mil
8	Pirates of the Caribbean:At World’s End	5.0 mil	2,162	$2,319	295.7 mil
9	Sicko	4.5 mil	441	$10,204	4.6 mil
10	Evening	3.5 mil	977	$3,595	3.5 mil

The Top 5 Worldwide Grossing Movies of the Summer:

Here’s a look at their placing and their numbers.

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

Budget: 300 million

Opening Weekend: 156.1 million

Total Domestic: 295.7 million

Total Foreign: 608.9 million

Worldwide Total: 904.6 million

2. Spider-Man 3 Numbers:

Budget: 258 million

Opening Weekend: 151.1 million

Total Domestic: 333.6 million

Total Foreign: 546.5 million

Worldwide Total: 880.2 million

3. Shrek 3 Numbers:

Budget: 160 million

Opening Weekend: 121.6 million

Total Domestic: 313.8 million

Total Foreign: 170.4 million

Worldwide Total: 484.2 million

4. Ocean’s Thirteen Numbers:

Budget: N/A

Opening Weekend: 36.1 million

Total Domestic: 102.0 million

Total Foreign: 100.0 million

Worldwide Total: 202.0 million

5. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer Numbers:

Budget: 130 million

Opening Weekend: 58.0 million

Total Domestic: 114.8 million

Total Foreign: 59.1 million

Worldwide Total: 173.9 million

The Top 10 Box Office Winners Question Continues:

Here are the Maniacs which have turned in their Top 10 Box Office estimates so far:

Snallygaster:

1. Spider-Man 3
2. Pirates 3
3. Shrek 3
4. Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix
5. Transformers
6. Ratatouille
7. Fantastic Four
8. The Bourne Ultimatum
9. Rush Hour 3
10. Live Free or Die Hard

jppintar326

1. Spiderman 3
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
3. Pirates of the Caribbean
4. Transformers
5. Shrek the Third
6. The Bourne UItimatium
7. Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer
8. Live Free or Die Hard
9. Rush Hour 3
10. Surf's Up

SinisterPryde

1. Spider-Man 3
2. Pirates of the Carribean: At Earth's End
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
4. Shrek 3
5. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
6. Ratatouille
7. Transformers
8. Rush Hour 3
9. Ocean's Thirteen
10. Live Free or Die Hard

wessmith1966

1. Pirates 3
2. Spider-Man 3
3. Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix
4. Shrek 3
5. Transformers
6. Ratatouille
7. Live Free or Die hard
8. Fantastic Four
9. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
10. Evan Almighty

Captmathman

1 Spider-Man 3
2 Pirates 3
3 Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix
4 Shrek the Third
5 Transformers
6 The Bourne Ultimatum
7 Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
8 The Simpsons Movie
9 Evan Almighty
10 Ocean's 13

Merin (with Box Office predictions as well)

1. Pirates 3 - $450 million L
2. Spider-Man 3 - $350 million M
3. Harry Potter 5 - $325 million L
4. Shrek 3 - $315 million L
5. FF 2 - $205 million M
6. Simpsons Movie - $200 million M
7. Rush Hour 3 - $200 million L

8. Transformers - $180 million L

9. Bourne Ultimatum - $175 million L
10. Ratatouille - $150 million M

Hanso

1.Pirates 3.
2.Spidey 3.
3.Shrek 3.
4.Transformers.
5.Harry Potter 5.
6.Ratataouile.
7.Rush Hour 3.

8.Fantastic Four 2.
9.Chuck & Larry.
10.The Simpsons.

theCollector

1.POTC: AWE - 600 Million
2. Fantastic Four: ROTSS- 445 Million
3. Transformers - 400 Million
4. Knocked Up) - 380
5. The Simpsons/ Shrek the Third - 325 million
6. Spidey 3 - 320 million
7. Die Hard 4 - 310 million
8. Rush Hour 3 - 225 million
9.Harry Potter 5/ Evan Almighty- 210 million
10. Oceans 13 -205 Million

Scorpionstryker

1.transformers
2. pirates3
3. harry potter 5
4. spiderman 3
5. shrek 3
6. fantastic four 2
7. simpsons
8. surfs up
9. rush hour 3
10. Chuck & Larry

DaForce

1. Spidey 3
2. Pirates 3
3. Transformers
4. Shrek 3
5. Ratatouille
6. Harry Pothead and the Phoenix
7. FF2
8. Simpsons
9. Die Hard 4
10. Surf's Up

MaverickRenegade

1. Pirates 3
2. Spidey 3
3. Shrek 3
4. Transformers
5. Harry Potter
6. FF2
7. Die Hard 4
8. Simpsons
9. Ratatouille
10. Surf's Up

AlmostUnbiased

1. POTC3
2. spidey 3
3. Shrek
4. Harry Potter 5
5. Ratataouile
6. Ocean's Thirteen
7. The Bourne Ultimatum
8. Rush Hour 3
9. Transformers
10. FF:ROTSS

Celt6

. Pirates of the Caribbean: AWE
2. Harry Potter 5
3. Spider-Man 3
4. Transformers
5. Shrek 3
6. FF:ROTSS
7. Live Free or Die Hard
8. Bourne Ultimatum
9. Rush Hour 3
10. Ocean's 13

Tuesday July 3,2007 Releases:

Wide Releases

Transformers (4,000+ Theaters)

License to Wed (2,600+ Theaters)

Friday July 6, 2007 Releases:

Limited Releases

Dynamite Warrior

Introducing the Dwights

Joshua

The Method

Rescue Dawn

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RATATOUILLE Has Early Lead
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New "Ratatouille" Trailer Online!
(Saturday, March 24, 2007)
Peter O'Toole lends voice to "Ratatouille"
(Wednesday, March 14, 2007)
THQ to make Pixar's "Ratatouille" a game
(Friday, November 10, 2006)

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Comments/Responses

Boombatty • Jul 01, 2007, 04:53pm •

Well it looks like the top two spots are all lined up:
1) Pirates 3
2) Spiderman 3

Unless Harry Potter knocks them out of the park.
I wonder if Transformers or Harry Potter will end up in third or if Shrek will hold up.

almostunbiased • Jul 01, 2007, 05:34pm •

Well, I didn't even have die hard on my top ten list, but I thought it was a great movie. It will probably be there. My kids loved Ratataouile with their grandparents, but I missed it. Thought it would do a little better than it did. It will probably have a good run though.
Hopefully I'll see Transformers by next weekend. Won't be able to during the week, but I'm really looking forward to it.

jppintar326 • Jul 01, 2007, 05:59pm •

I saw Live Free or Die Hard on Thursday. I liked the movie but Willis's cyber geek bud was whiny and smug. I shouldn't be surprised that he does those Mac commercials as the Mac. I hate those commercials because the Mac comes across as smug so I guess it was typecasting.

I plan to see Transformers this week. We'll see if it satifies long time Transformers fans like me as well as make new ones. It is one thing to read what's going on in the novelization that I read and actually seeing it. Knowing Michael Bay's movies, it will be more of a visual experience.

I wonder how Evan Almighty will do overseas. I think the main problem with this movie is it tried to broaden its appeal to Christian groups that normally don't go to the movies. I'm all for inviting new people into the movies, but I don't think a sequel to a Jim Carrey movie with the star of the 40 Year Old Virgin was the right idea. Most of these groups would probably not know who Steve Carrell was and if they did, they probably wouldn't see him as a modern day Noah.

As for Ratatouille, it may not go down as the greatest Pixare movie ever, but it was risk taking of them to make the lead character a rat and have him try to be a French chef. Not exactly what kids may go for, but it did do better than I expected it to do. I haven't seen it yet but I now admit I erred in not putting it in my top 10.

snallygaster • Jul 01, 2007, 07:54pm •

I was thinking both Ratatouille and Die Hard would have done a bit better over the weekend, though they did reasonably well. I'm really curious to see how Ratatouille fares in France when it opens there next weekend.

"I think the main problem with this movie is it tried to broaden its appeal to Christian groups that normally don't go to the movies."

That strategy worked for The Passion and even Narnia, but faltered with The Nativity. I'm not surprised that it's not working for Evan Almighty. I think the Hollywood marketers are fumbling around, trying to figure out what works and what doesn't work when trying to tap into the church-going crowd. I'm astounded at the price tag on that movie!

I'm still playing catch-up on the summer's earlier releases. I finally saw Shrek 3, FF, and Surf's Up. I thought all were OK summer movies, neither horrible nor great. Shrek was probably the most disappointing of the lot, with each movie getting a bit less fun for me, while I thought FF was an improvement over the original. This week I'll probably go for Ratatouille or Transformers.

daforce • Jul 01, 2007, 08:12pm •

I really liked Ratatouille much better than Cars, and it's actually the most adult of the Pixar movies even though it's rated G.

I refuse to see a Len Wiseman directed Die Hard, especially with the Apple computer mascot as a costar. I can wait until it comes out on cable in eight months.

Evan Almighty looked like Almighty Crap just from the trailers, so I'm not surprised that it ended up where it did (which is why I didn't even put it on my list).

Transformers will probably make over $70 million this coming weekend, and will almost definitely overtake the tired Shrek franchise for the #3 spot. Hell, it may even take over the #2 spot.

almostunbiased • Jul 01, 2007, 08:24pm •

"I think the main problem with this movie is it tried to broaden its appeal to Christian groups that normally don't go to the movies."
I can't disagree enough. Why would christians rush out to see this movie. It's nothing like passion of the christ. That would pull Christains and I don't think Narnia is at all religious either, not anymore than the matrix.

• Jul 01, 2007, 08:51pm •

LOL Daforce...you......opinonated butthead! Live Free or Die Hard was actually pretty damn good. You hated the Underworld movies that much?!?

Bah....I've stopped trying to agree with you!

I bet Transformers makes a lot more money too...It's going to give Spider-Man 3's 151.1 million opening a run for its money.

Remember, it opens to 48 straight hours of showings in the top theaters of the country..

It may say a "July 3rd" release but it's actually beginning at 8:00 pm on Monday in theaters everywhere. They should just say July 2nd....

Evan Almighty may be billed as a disaster comedy but it's just a plain distaster for Universal. I'd really like to know what the hell those Uni executives were thinking about when they were creating this film!

Jarrod Sarafin

redhairs99 • Jul 01, 2007, 08:55pm •

Where did you come up with $156 million for the opening weekend of Pirates 3? Spidey 3 has the highest opening weekend of anyone with the $151 million. Pirates 3 didn't even do as well as the second film on it's opening weekend. Pirates 3 has $114 while Pirates 2 opened to $135 million.

Also,
"I think the main problem with this movie is it tried to broaden its appeal to Christian groups that normally don't go to the movies."

If you are talking about Christians going to movies in large groups than I have to agree with you. However, if you just mean Christians in general are not going to movies then I have to ask you WTF? Christians are not the freakin' Amish. They go to the movies just like everyone else. I'm sure there are some that steer clear of certain films, but as whole Christians still go to see movies.

daforce • Jul 01, 2007, 09:11pm •

Yeah, the Underwear...excuse me, Under*world* movies weren't all that particularly imaginative, nor original (they essentially ripped off the White Wolf game Vampires: The Masquerade). Also, that blue-grey lighting throughout the movie really annoys the crap out of me for some reason. Combine that with quick edits that would make Michael Bay's head spin, and you've got all the things I hate about no-talent directors.

Even sight unseen. I'd rather keep my $10 in my pocket.

• Jul 01, 2007, 09:21pm •

Quick edits that would make Michael Bay's head spin or quick edits that would make Tony Scott's head spin? Two different degrees of head spinning, bro.

I notice how you havent emailed me a story the last two days, Daforcie...You coming into the same problem I am? I've looked up 36 different news sites in the last hour...not one freaking new article.

It seems like everyone goes on vacation for entertainment news on July 4th weekend-week. Sheesh.

Transformers is a massive event..

I'm thinking it will surpass Spidey's 151 mil opening record which in turn surpassed Dead Man's Chest record...

For one reason...the same reason I cant seem to find any efffing news to publish. It's July 4th week....Everyone and their mama is going to see the event known as Transformers..Considering the good reviews so far for it, I don't see why it won't make 152 million at least from Monday's 8:00 pm showings-Sunday's 12:00 showings.

Oh...and underwear movies or not, Live Free or Die Hard did rock, Daffy. :)

Jarrod Sarafin

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