LOS ANGELES (CNN/Money) - Disney was the happiest place on earth this weekend as its Miramax/Dimension Films launched "Scary Movie 3" to $49.7 million and Buena Vista/Disney opened "Brother Bear" to $285,000 at just two theaters.
The icing on the cake for Disney and its investors, however, came with a Barron's article headlined "The Magic Is Back." The favorable article by Jacqueline Doherty noted that, "continued improvement in the economy, an increase in theme park attendance and more eyeballs tuning into ABC could finally make shareholders' dreams come true."
"Scary 3" goes into the record books as the biggest October opening ever, eclipsing last year's $36.5 million kick off for Universal and MGM's "Red Dragon." It's also the biggest opening ever for Miramax/Dimension, topping its original "Scary Movie's" $42.4 million in 2000.
The first "Scary" did about $157 million domestically. The second one opened to $20.5 million last year and grossed $71 million-plus. Both films were rated R. Dimension head Bob Weinstein, who co-chairs Miramax with Harvey Weinstein, was smart to broaden the franchise's appeal by planning "Scary 3" to be rated PG-13.
Directed by David Zucker, director of the hit comedies "Airplane!" and the "Naked Gun" franchise, "Scary 3" reportedly cost $45 million. It's a safe bet to do $100 million-plus and could end up doing about as well as the first "Scary."
Dimension has a fourth "Scary," also to be directed by Zucker, going into production early next year for release late in 2004.
Disney's other success story this weekend was its $285,000 launch at just two theaters of the animated family film "Brother Bear." "Bear" expands Saturday, Nov. 1 to about 3,000 theaters.
"We're ecstatic over having a screen average of $142,500," Buena Vista Distribution president Chuck Viane told me. "The audience is made up of mostly families and teens. It is playing off the map! The film scored 94 percent in the Top Two boxes (excellent and very good) and it's really almost all in the top box. It's remarkable the contagiousness (to see the film) that comes with sold out movie theaters. We've got 1,100 seats at the El Capitan (in Los Angeles) and 1,200 at the Ziegfeld (in New York).
"Three of the shows (in New York Saturday) had 1,173 people in them and it's remarkable to get a crowd that size enjoying a movie like ours. Obviously, our filmmakers have to live up to very high expectations when they make an animated film at our studio and, boy, they have delivered beyond expectations. So we're just awfully, awfully proud of everybody."
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There also were smiles at Revolution Studios and Columbia Pictures, whose PG rated drama "Radio" opened third with $14 million.
"'Radio' opened very solid and we're very pleased with its opening," Columbia distribution president Rory Bruer said. "The playability (is strong). People love the movie and we expect it to be around for a very long time."
Viacom's Paramount Pictures, on the other hand, had nothing to celebrate with its opening of Mandalay Pictures' R-rated romantic drama "Beyond Borders."
"Borders," starring Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen,
opened beyond the top ten to a soft $2 million ($1,112 per theater) in eleventh place. Paramount is on the hook for its prints and advertising, which could mean $20 million or more. Mandalay financed its production, reportedly for $35 million.
"Borders" is Jolie's latest box office bomb after "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider -- The Cradle of Life," which did a disappointing $65.5 million in domestic theaters last summer. It followed the not-so-jolly strike-outs "Original Sin," which grossed $16.3 million in 2001, and "Life Or Something Like It," which took in $14.4 million in 2002.
Martin Grove appears Mondays on CNNfn's "The Biz," which airs at 12:30 p.m., 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., Eastern.
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