TOP 10: THE VILLAGE counts its coins

By: Patrick Sauriol
Date: Monday, August 02, 2004

Even though the reviews for M. Night Shyamalan's latest film aren't as positive overall as they were for his earlier thriller (SIGNS, UNBREAKABLE, THE SIXTH SENSE) that didn't stop the bulk of the movie-goers from seeing THE VILLAGE on its opening weekend. An impressive $50 million dollar opening weekend (just $3 M behind last week's champ THE BOURNE IDENTITY) was easily enough to catapult Shyamalan's movie to the top of the weekend box office charts. The question now is: how much will THE VILLAGE fall come next weekend?

The answer to that question is already known for Universal's BOURNE sequel. In the film's second week of release ticket sales fell by 55% for the Matt Damon action-thriller; nevertheless, it's estimated $23 M take is enough to perch the film on the lip of the coveted $100 M barrier. Monday's ticket sales should be enough to push it over that threshold.

Third spot went to Paramount's remake of THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE which took in approximately $20 M. At the sixth position we see CATWOMAN which dropped 63% in its second weekend of ticket sales while SPIDER-MAN 2 took in two million bucks more and it's been out three weeks longer than the feline flick.

New Line may be disappointed with the seventh place overall showing of HAROLD AND KUMAN GO TO WHITE CASTLE ($5.1 M) but positive word-of-mouth and the film's low production budget are two factors working in that film's advantage. However, Universal execs can't help but feel unconfortable over the dismal $2.6 M gross for their THUNDERBIRDS movie, an expensive live-action remake of the cult 1960s show. Less than $20,000 separates THUNDERBIRDS gross from the film directly above it at eleventh spot, THE NOTEBOOK, which has been playing for six weeks in theaters. The final tally of ticket sale figures may see the two films swap places.


Here are the estimated box office receipts of the top twelve films from July 30 through to August 1 with their weekend gross and the movie's total domestic gross to date. New films are signified in red.


BOX OFFICE FRIDAY JULY 30 to SUNDAY AUGUST 1, 2004:


1. THE VILLAGE $50,813,000 $50,813,000
2. THE BOURNE SUPREMACY $23,421,000 $98,083,000
3. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE $20,200,000 $20,200,000
4. I, ROBOT $10,050,000 $114,734,000
5. SPIDER-MAN 2 $8,500,000 $344,327,000
6. CATWOMAN $6,081,000 $29,412,000
7. HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE $5,150,000 $5,150,000
8. A CINDERELLA STORY $4,691,000 $40,145,000
9. FAHRENHEIT 9/11 $3,100,000 $109,433,000
10. ANCHORMAN: THE LEGENDY OF RON BURGUNDY $3,100,000 $78,134,000
11. THE NOTEBOOK $2,675,000 $68,244,000
12. THUNDERBIRDS $2,654,000 $2,654,000


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