Bond's "Day" Returns

Mon., Dec. 9, 2002 4:25 PM PST by

James Bond lives another day--on top of the weekend box office.

Die Another Day managed to regain the top slot in its third week with $12.8 million, beating the underperforming sequel Analyze That

The reteaming of Billy Crystal as a neurotic shrink and Robert De Niro as his mobster patient, debuted in second with $11 million--way down from the $18 million opening of the original 1999 hit Analyze This, which eventually grossed $107 million.

Overall, as the crowds who had flocked to the movies immediately following Thanksgiving spent the weekend on holiday shopping, the combined top 12 box-office gross fell a steep 49 percent from last weekend. The combined haul was just $68.5 million, which was also 17 percent lower than this time last year.

Bond's own business was down 59 percent. But still, adding 23 sites for a total of 3,347 theaters, MGM's Die Another Day was able to best not just Warners' R-rated Analyze That, but also Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The boy wizard sequel, which had edged past Bond over Turkey day, tumbled 69 percent to third place with $10.1 million, according to final studio tallies released Monday.

But 007 wasn't on top when it came to the all-important per-screen average. Die Another Day earned $3,837 per screen, lower than Analyze That's $4,188 average at 2,635 sites, and much lower than the $7,245 taken in by Empire, which debuted in fourth place with $6.3 million. The R-rated Universal release, a low-budget drug drama starring John Leguizamo, Peter Sarsgaard and Denise Richards, climbed that high debuting in 867 sites.

But scoring really big was Adaptation. Opening in just seven sites, Spike Jonze's brain twister about the emotional turmoil of turning a novel into a movie averaged $54,925 per for a total of $384,000. The R-rated Sony release, starring Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper, is already picking up Oscar buzz.

Also opening in limited release was Equilibrium, a sci-fi drama about a zonked-out Big Brother future starring Christian Bale, Emily Watson and Taye Diggs. The R-rated Miramax release likely has a limited future in theaters after averaging $1,799 per 301 screens for a mere $542,000.

The sharpest drop-off was 80 percent for The Quiet American. But that was a misleading stat because the Miramax movie, which might earn Michael Caine awards attention, dropped four screens in its third week. Now in just two theaters, the adaptation of the Graham Green novel about political intrigue in 1950s Saigon earned a very solid $11,000 per screen for $22,000.

However, there was no way to spin Solaris' performance--or lack thereof. The George Clooney space trip fell out of the top 10 in just its second week. Losing 65 percent from its opening, the Steven Soderbergh-helmed flick fell to 11th place with just $979 per 2,406 sites (the lowest average among the top 12 films) for a barely there $2.3 million. Solaris' too weak two-week orbit stands at just $13.2 million.

Here are the top 10 films of the weekend, as compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

1. Die Another Day, $12.8 million
2. Analyze That, $11 million
3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, $10.1 million
4. Empire, $6.3 million
5. Treasure Planet, $5.5 million
6. The Santa Clause 2, $5.3 million
7. Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights, $4.8 million
8. Friday After Next, $2.8 million
9. 8 Mile, $2.55 million
10. The Ring, $2.52 million

(Originally published 12/8/02 at 2:35 p.m. PT.)

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