9-11 Movie Passes Box-Office Test

The United 93 question was: Was it too soon--too soon for a movie about 9-11? The box-office answer was: No, not really.

The doggedly fact-based drama grossed $11.5 million in its Friday-Sunday debut, per figures from the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. Its per-screen average was even more impressive: $6,395--average-wise, no other major movie played to bigger crowds.

Compared to other 2006 movies aimed at grown-ups, an admittedly small sample, United 93 was neither an Inside Man hit nor a Thank You for Smoking art-house phenomenon. But according to Exhibitor Relations' Paul Dergarabedian, the film that generated nearly as many op-ed articles as reviews "did exactly what it needed to do."

Distributor Universal, Dergarabedian said, "didn't dump it in 3,000 theaters and [hope to] somehow generate box office that way. They knew they had a special film on their hands...and [they got] the best-case scenario."

As for the soon, not too soon question, Dergarabedian said: "I think the audience have made that decision and have decided to go see that movie."

United 93 tells the story of United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. While three other flights hijacked that same day took out the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Flight 93 ended in a field in Pennsylvania. A passenger uprising apparently led the jet's terrorist pilots to crash the plane there, short of their alleged White House target.

The trailer for the movie, shot documentary-style and featuring a no-name, non-Hollywood cast, was pulled by one theater in New York after 9-11-sensitive audiences complained--and, per one report, cried.

RV, the family-friendly road-trip comedy starring Robin Williams, did not appear to tap such emotions. It did, however, tap wallets. Its $16.4 million take was the best of the weekend, answering the question as to whether it was too soon for audiences to laugh at a movie that seemingly ignored sky-high gas prices.

Stick It, the would-be Bring It On of gymnastic comedies, opened in third place with $10.8 million. By comparison, the actual Bring It On, the gold standard of cheerleader comedies, opened in first place in 2000 with $17.4 million.

The Starbucks-promoted spelling-bee drama Akeelah and the Bee, the weekend's other major new release, could have used a shot of espresso. Opening on nearly 2,200 screens, Akeelah a-c-c-u-m-u-l-a-t-e-d just $6 million (eighth place).

Last weekend's top movie, Silent Hill, made little noise with $9.3 million (fourth place), a drop-off of 54 percent. Overall, it has scared up $34.3 million

Falling out of the Top 10 were: Jennifer Aniston's Friends with Money ($2.1 million; $8.1 million overall); Inside Man ($2.1 million; $84.5 million overall); Take the Lead ($1.9 million; $32.5 million overall); and the all-star satire American Dreamz, "grossing" $1.6 million for a nightmarish two-week take of $6.2 million.

Meanwhile, the overall box office continued its upward trend in 2006, topping the same week in 2005 by more than 11 percent.

Here's a complete look at the weekend's top-grossing films, based on final studio figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

1. RV, $16.4 million
2. United 93, $11.5 million
3. Stick It, $10.8 million
4. Silent Hill, $9.3 million
5. Scary Movie 4, $7.81 million
6. The Sentinel, $7.79 million
7. Ice Age: The Meltdown, $7.2 million
8. Akeelah and the Bee, $6 million
9. The Wild, $4.8 million
10. Benchwarmers, $4.4 million

(Originally published Apr. 30, 2006 at 2:15 p.m. PT.)