"First Dates" a Box-Office Valentine

Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore's 50 First Dates proved to be the hot date at the box office.

For the four-day combo Valentine/Presidents' Day holiday weekend the memory-impaired romance kissed up $45.1 million, according to studio figures released Tuesday.

That scored as the best ever opening over a Presidents' Day weekend, edging past the previous champ, last year's Daredevil, which had a four-day gross of $45 million.

With $39.9 million between Friday and Sunday, 50 First Dates had the third best February three-day opening, behind Hannibal ($58 million) and Daredevil ($40.3 million).

Despite meeting with some mixed reviews from those uneasy with its combination of crude humor and sweet sentiment, the reteaming of Sandler and Barrymore (who first hooked up in the 1998 romantic comedy The Wedding Singer, which only debuted with $21.9 million) made for a perfect date night. Saturday night's box offce was reportedly 95 percent higher than Friday's, with the audience split evenly between men and women. There was also a higher percentage of 25 and older ticket buyers than for the typical Sandler flick.

All told, the PG-13 Sony release, which costars Sean Astin and Rob Schneider providing sidekick silliness, drew in 37 percent of those catching a movie over the long weekend.

Set in Hawaii, 50 First Dates stars Sandler as a womanizing animal doctor so smitten with Barrymore, the amnesiac victim of a car accident, that he has to re-woo and re-wow her every day. Facing no other new entries and distributed very widely at 3,591 sites, it averaged $12,561 per theater for the four-day period.

Its arrival clipped last weekend's top movie, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, back to third place. Remaining in 2,711 sites the sassy-mouthed comedy was shorn 36 percent, earning $16.5 million over the four-day holiday ($14 million between Friday and Sunday) with a $6,087 average. Its two-week total is now $45 million.

With receipts were down just 28 percent, Disney's ice hockey saga Miracle held steady in second place, skating away with $17 million for the four-day holiday. The film's $14 million from Friday to Sunday actually ranked below Barbershop 2's take, but Miracle won the per-screen average derby, with $6,174. Its two-week tally stands at $40.1 million.

The only gains in the top 10 were for Cold Mountain and Mystic River.

Having racked up several major Oscar nominations, Mystic River was up 1 percent, with $4.3 million over the four-day ($3.7 over the three-day) in ninth place. The Warners released averaged $3,145 per its 1,370 theaters.

Despite missing out on several major Oscar nominations and dropping 177 screens, the Civil War romance starring (nominated) Renée Zellweger and (nominated) Jude Law and (non-nominated) Nicole Kidman, held in the 10th place but gained 8 percent. The Miramax release earned $3.9 million over the four-day period ($3.5 million from Friday to Sunday), averaging $2,141 at 1,740 sites.

The lone limited-release opening was Highwaymen. Entering at 111 sites, the R-rated New Line release starring Jim Caviezel as a guy out to avenge the death of his wife at the hands of a El Camino-driving serial killer--hardly hot date Valentine fare--averaged just $1,952 for $216,697.

The combined total for the top 12 films from Friday to Monday was $122.1 million, down 13 percent from the same time last year. The combined total for the Friday-Sunday period was $105.2 million, up 16 percent from last weekend.

Here's a recap of the top 10 films based on final studio figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (four-day totals listed first; three day totals listed parenthetically):

1. 50 First Dates, $45.1 million ($39.9 million)
2. Miracle, $17 million ($14 million)
3. Barbershop 2: Back in Business, $16.5 million ($14.5 million)
4. You Got Served, $6.02 million ($5.1 million)
5. The Butterfly Effect, $5.96 million ($5.3 million)
6. Catch That Kid, $5.9 million ($4.5 million)
7. Along Came Polly, $5.5 million ($4.8 million)
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, $4.2 million ($5.1 million)
9. Mystic River, $3.7 million ($4.3 million)
10. Cold Mountain, $3.9 million ($3.5 million)

(Originally published Feb. 15, 2004 at 12:05 p.m. PT.)