"Exorcist" Bedevils Box Office

Give the devil his due. Exorcist: The Beginning possessed the megaplexes this weekend, scaring up $18.1 million.

The seemingly cursed production--which went through three directors, several casting changes and nearly two entire shoots before finally hitting theaters this weekend--was excoriated by critics, who had to wait until Friday to review the flick because Warner Bros. decided not to hold preview screenings.

That seemed like a smart tactic--the Ebert set ripped the Renny Harlin-directed film for its cheesy F/X and cheap scares. But because the thumbs-down came late, it took a day for audiences to catch on. The R-rated film, starring Stellan Skarsgard as the young Father Merrin as he first faces down the demon who eventually made Linda Blair spit up pea soup and spin her head around in the 1973 classic The Exorcist (Max Von Sydow played the elder Merrin in the original), did its best business Friday night and dropped off dramatically Saturday and Sunday. All told, it averaged $6,441 per screen at 2,803 sites.

And the $18.1 million is a far cry from the $40 million the prequel's producer said he needed on opening weekend for the budget-bursting movie to break even.

By comparison, the relatively cheap Without a Paddle, a male-bonding comedy with a Deliverance-esque theme, drifted in with $13.5 million in second and is well on its way to turning a profit.

The PG-13 Paramount release, in which Seth Green, Matthew Lillard and Dax Shepard leave the city for a treasure-hunting trip in the wilderness, opened in 2,730 theaters, averaging $4,958 per site.

The dog days are in full effect in moviedom. Box-office tallies were down 17 percent from last weekend, according to receipt tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Last week's topper, Alien vs. Predator, dropped a whopping 68 percent, falling from first to fourth in its second weekend with $12.4 million. The Fox franchise flick has now grossed $63 million

One of the few brights spot in the current release roster is The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Disney's tween-skewing romantic comedy dropped one spot to third but only lost 43 percent of its business, earning $13.1 million to bring its two-week gross to $61.2 million.

Suffering the worst crash of all was Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie, which tumbled 66 percent, down from fourth place to 10th, earning a skimpy $3.2 million its second weekend. The Warners release has now grossed $15.5 million.

After opening in limited release three weeks ago, Lions Gate's low-budget shark thriller Open Water expanded to 2,709 sites, where it earned $11.4 million in fifth place. The R-rated Sundance sensation, inspired by a true story of abandoned scuba divers, averaged $4,213 per site and has now earned $14.5 million.

Another art-house fave, Garden State, continued to blossom. Moving into 652 sites, Zack Braff's homegrown movie gained 131 percent, climbed from 13th to 11th place with $3 million, bringing its four-week total to $6.5 million.

In limited release the top attraction was Bright Young Things, an adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's satirical novel about irresponsible young Brits in pre-World War II London high society featuring a stellar British cast and directed by Stephen Fry. At just three sites, the Think Film release, averaged $15,642 to tally $46,926.

At four sites, Mean Creek, an R-rated Paramount Classics drama about some messed up kids who take a punishing boat trip, averaged $7,293 for $29,170.

And playing in 10 theaters, the PG-13 Samuel Goldwyn Films release Rosenstrasse, a look back at the tragedies of the Holocaust directed by Margarethe Von Trotta, averaged $4,502 for $45,024.

At 96 sites the R-rated Arenas release Nicotina, a Mexican caper starring Diego Luna as a computer hacker hoping crime will buy romance, averaged $4,654 for $446,768.

Although the box office was down from last weekend, the $101.5 million racked up by the top 12 films was a 20 percent improvement over this time last year, when no new challengers could keep Freddy vs. Jason from repeating at number one.

Here's a recap of the top 10 films based on final studio figures released Monday:

1. Exorcist: The Beginning, $18.1 million
2. Without a Paddle, $13.5 million
3. The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, $13.1 million
4. Alien vs. Predator, $12.4 million
5. Open Water, $11.4 million
6. Collateral, $10.2 million
7. The Bourne Supremacy, $6.5 million
8. The Manchurian Candidate, $4 million
9. The Village, $3.7 million
10. Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie, $3.2 million

(Originally published Aug. 22, 2004 at 2:10 p.m. PT.)