"Scary Movie 4" Delivers Basketful of Easter Joy

The Easter Bunny brought Bob and Harvey Weinstein one helluva treat.

The ex-Miramax heads enjoyed sweet revenge over their former masters at Disney as the Weinstein Co.'s Scary Movie 4 scared up a basketful of cash to dominate the weekend box office and make road kill of the Mouse House's new critter 'toon, The Wild.

The latest entry in the horror-parodying franchise, this time taking on the likes of Saw and War of the Worlds, rang up $40.2 million from Friday to Sunday, according to studio talles, setting a record for the best ever Easter opening. Scary Movie 4 easily surpassed the previous best of $30.1 million by the 2002 thriller Panic Room.

Scoring big with the spring-break crowd, the PG-13 sequel, again starring Anna Faris and Regina Hall with cameos by Charlie Sheen, Carmen Electra, James Earl Jones and Dr. Phil, also now ranks as the second-best ever April opener, only beaten by Anger Management's $42.2 million in 2003. It averaged$11,167 per site at 3,602 sites, tops among all wide-release movies.

"We couldn't have asked for a more impressive opening for Scary Movie 4 and are so proud to have accomplished this only six months after our company launched," trumpeted Bob Weinstein. "This exceptional opening proves that this franchise has tremendous staying power."

About the only down news for the Weinstein Co's first number one is that it didn't open as strongly as Scary Movie 3, which kicked off with $48.1 million in fall of '03 on its way to $110 million domestically. The new entry also was beneath the original Scary Movie's $42.3 million in summer 2000 (leading to a theatrical tally of $156.9 million.) However, Scary Movie 4 handily beat Scary Movie 2's $20.5 million in summer 2001 (the first sequel eventually grossed only $71.2 million).

But Steve Bunnell, chairman of domestic distribution for the Weinstein Company, says Scary Movie 4's exit surveys "are in line with Scary Movie 3" and setting the new comedy up for a profitable run.

Besides, it kicked the tar out of Disney's The Wild, which puttered in with a tame $9.7 million in fourth place.

The G-rated tale--featuring the voice of Kiefer Sutherland as a lion who leads a pack of zoo escapees on a jungle adventure--averaged $3,393 per 2,854 sites.

Those keen on an animated animal tales preferred to stick to Ice Age: The Meltdown. Although the PG-rated prehistoric Fox yarn dropped 40 percent to second place after two weeks on top, it earned another $20 million, averaging $5,171 at 3,873 sites, and has now grossed a really mammoth $147.1 million.

Meanwhile, despite dropping 50 percent, The Benchwarmers is refusing to strike out, batting in $9.9 million in third place to bring its two-week tally to $35.9 million.

Moving up the Top 10 list was Thank You for Smoking. The Fox Searchlight release continues its expansion, now playing in 1,015 theaters in its fifth week, averaging $4,425 for $4.5 million. That's a 95 percent gain from last week, good enough to push the Aaron Eckhart-led satire up from 10th to eighth place and giving the film a total of $11.5 million.

Also gaining theaters (up to 42 from 14 last week) and business (up 25 percent) is Friends with Money, which averaged a rich $17,611 for $740,000 to bring its two-week take to $1.5 million.

The most successful opener in limited release was Lionsgate's R-rated pedophile revenge thriller Hard Candy, which scored $29,000 per screen at just two sites for $58,000. Meanwhile, Miramax's PG-13 shoe-themed Brit import Kinky Boots averaged $8,614 at nine sites for $78,000.

Overall business was up 7 percent up above last weekend and an encouraging 23 percent over this time last year.

Here's a recap of the highest grossing films, based on studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations; final figures are due Monday:

1. Scary Movie 4, $40.2 million
2. Ice Age: The Meltdown, $20 million
3. Benchwarmers, $9.9 million
4. The Wild, $9.7 million
5. Take the Lead, $6.8 million
6. Inside Man, $6.4 million
7. Lucky Number Slevin, $4.8 million
8. Thank You for Smoking, $4.5 million
9. Failure to Launch, $2.6 million
10. V for Vendetta, $2.2 million

(Originally published Apr. 16, 2006 at 1:10 p.m. PT.)