The month’s surprise hits were The Ring and Jackass: The Movie. The Ring opened with $15 million, displayed incredible legs, and has grossed close to $127 million to date. An interesting fact about The Ring is that its 2nd, 3rd, and 4th weekends were all greater than its opening weekend tally. Word of mouth on the horror flick was incredible. Jackass scored close to $64 million from audiences, incredible for a film with a mere $5 million budget. Solid performers of the month included Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie, Ghost Ship, Brown Sugar, The Transporter, and Bowling for Columbine.

Columbine never played in more than 250 theaters, but grossed a great $15.8 million so far in its run. October had many releases that resulted in many disappointing box office runs. Abandon, The Truth about Charlie, White Oleander, Tuck Everlasting, Knockaround Guys, The Rules of Attraction, and Formula 51 were some of October’s casualties. The biggest casualty of all, however, was Madonna’s box office dud, Swept Away, which floundered with just $600,000 in total. Madonna’s luck would improve with the James Bond film Die Another Day, in which she had a cameo and sang the title song. October had many other casualties, but the month was clearly The Ring’s time to shine.

As October winded down, the lucrative month of November began and set the box office ablaze. The clear winner was Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, as it grabbed close to $247 million so far and could finish with close to $265 million. While this is an impressive figure, it is lower than the original Harry Potter, which finished its run with close to $317 million. Die Another Day, on the other hand, became the biggest Bond picture of all time with a gross of over $150 million. The Halle Berry/Pierre Brosnan pairing clearing pulled in huge crowds, and the success of the film may even result in a Bond spin-off starring Halle Berry. Other big performers of the month would include The Santa Clause 2 with a tally close to $137 million, and Eminem’s 8 Mile with $115 million. Mile opened with $51 million, but did not display the best legs. Some solid November performers would include Friday after Next and The Emperor’s Club.

Eddie Murphy experienced his third straight disappointment of the year, as the $70 million-budgeted I Spy under performed with a total of just $33 million. To put things into perspective, Eddie Murphy’s three films of 2002 (Showtime, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, I Spy) cost close to a $245 million combined yet only grossed about $76 million domestically. Other November films that did not catch on with moviegoers included Femme Fatale, Half Past Dead, Extreme Ops, They, Solaris, Eight Crazy Nights, and Disney’s Treasure Planet. The latter cost close to $140 million to produce yet has only made $35 million so far in its disappointing box office run. Disney’s business should pick up next year when they release the Pixar-animated Finding Nemo.

Some of 2002’s most anticipated films were saved for December when Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers hit theaters, along with the long-delayed Gangs of New York. Most, however, were anticipating the December 18 release of The Two Towers, which was to set the box office on fire. Rings opened with $26 million (Wednesday) on its way to a $62 million weekend. The sequel is destined to outperform its predecessor and has a slim chance of out-grossing Spider-Man by the end of its run.

Gangs of New York finally hit theaters two days after Two Towers, grabbing $9.5 million from the pockets of moviegoers. It has made close to $40 million so far in its run, but carries a budget of close to $100 million (Oscar should be generous to the Leonardo DiCaprio picture). The other big players of December were Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me if You Can, Two Weeks Notice, and Maid in Manhattan, as all four of these films are likely to be members of the $100 million club. Other solid performers included Empire, The Wild Thornberrys, and Drumline. The latter took many by surprise and became a sleeper hit.

December 2002 also had its share of losers, including Pinocchio, The Hot Chick, Star Trek: Nemesis, and Analyze That. Analyze made significantly less than its predecessor and was seen by many as an unnecessary sequel. Star Trek: Nemesis became box office road-kill and will finish as the all-time lowest grossing Star Trek film. With December also comes the busy release and expansion of multiple films seeking award recognition, and December 2002 was no different. Adaptation, About Schmidt, Antwone Fisher, Chicago, and The Hours were some of the movies opening in limited release, all longing for Oscar gold. Greater expansions should take place in January.