"Hitch" Bedevils "Constantine"

Tue., Feb. 22, 2005 3:05 PM PST by

Hitch held.

Over the long Presidents Day weekend, the Will Smith romantic comedy wooed $36.7 million away from moviegoers--enough to exorcise Keanu Reeves' demon-happy Constantine, which spirited up $33.6 million.

However, the Warners R-rated stylish horror fantasy had the higher per-screen average for the four-day holiday, $11,186 from 3,006 locations, compared to $10,274 from 3,575 sites for Sony's PG-13 release.

Smith's matchmaking comedy, which costars Kevin James and Eva Mendes, continues to hook up a broad demographic, grossing $95 million in its first two weeks. Sony estimates the film will pass $100 million before next weekend and eventually gross upward of $150 million.

Fox's PG-rated Because of Winn-Dixie debuted in third place with $13.2 million over the four-day period, according to final studio figures released Tuesday. Based on the kiddie book, the family-friendly film stars AnnaSophia Robb as the lonely young girl who finds companionship with the stray dog. It opened in 3,188 sites, where it averaged $4,146. While the film is far from a blockbuster, the studio has almost earned back Winn-Dixie's modest $14 million production budget and should turn a tidy profit during the film's run.

The weekend's final wide release, New Line's PG-rated Son of the Mask, was far from smokin', opening in fourth with just $9.1 million from Friday to Monday. With Jamie Kennedy vainly trying to match the shape-shifting skills of Jim Carrey, who starred in 1994's original The Mask, the sequel averaged only $3,068 at 2,966 sites.

Meanwhile, three movies considered hot favorites to nab some statuettes at next Sunday's Oscar ceremony remained stronged.

Million Dollar Baby rang up $8.1 million in fifth place and has now grossed $54.6 million in 10 weeks of release.

Over the same time frame, The Aviator has earned $88.9 million, including the $4.9 million picked up this weekend in ninth place.

Sideways, which has grossed $58.7 million in 18 weeks, slurped up $4.5 million in 11th place.

For the four-day holiday, the top 12 movies grossed $137.2 million, finishing as the third-best Presidents Day ever.

Here's a rundown of the four-day (and three-day) final tallies, per Exhibitor Relations:

1. Hitch, $36.7 million ($31.4 million)
2. Constantine, $33.6 million ($29.8 million)
3. Because of Winn-Dixie, $13.2 million ($10.2 million)
4. Son of the Mask, $9.1 million ($7.5 million)
5. Million Dollar Baby, $8.1 million ($6.8 million)
6. Are We There Yet?, $8.05 million ($6.4 million)
7. Boogeyman, $6.1 million ($5.3 million)
8. Pooh's Heffalump Movie, $5.3 million ($4.1 million)
9. The Aviator, $4.9 million ($4.2 million)
10. The Wedding Date, $4.5 million ($3.9 million)

(Originally published Feb. 20, 2005 at 12:10 p.m. PT.)

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