August 2002
picks up the heat with its share of
aliens, comedians, costumes, kid spies,
secret agents, retired detectives,
surfers, digital actresses, and of
course moon nightclub owners.
Star-powered mega blockbusters and
star-powered independent films should
definitely make it an August to
remember, and end a record-breaking
summer 2002 with a mighty blast!
#1) Signs (August 2)
Opening: $37m Total: $170m
Box office titan Mel Gibson returns to
theaters after a mere five-month absence
in director M. Night Shyamalan’s
anticipated Signs. The durable star has
consistently churned out box office
hits, with his last five wide-released
films combining to gross a monstrous
$1.08 billion worldwide! Shymalan’s last
two films, 1999’s The Sixth Sense and
2000’s Unbreakable, combined to gross
over $922 million worldwide. Both of
these films starred box office star
Bruce Willis. Gibson has opened
successful films more consistently than
Willis and should provide some mighty
star power to the August release. The
Sixth Sense opened three years ago with
$26 million, on its way to a monstrous
$294 million. Unbreakable opened
Thanksgiving 2000
with $30 million, on its way to a
somewhat disappointing $95 million.
Signs should finish its run between
Shyamalan’s two previous films, with
fairly steady legs.
Signs is perhaps one of the most
anticipated films of the summer. It
debuts in a very competitive
marketplace, tackling the sophomore
session of Austin Powers In Goldmember
and taking on the Vin Diesel starrer,
xXx, in its second frame. Joaquin
Phoenix joins Gibson in the mighty
thriller, fresh off of the success of
his Oscar-nominated performance in
Gladiator, which grossed a monstrous
$187 million.
A good
comparison with Signs could be Harrison
Ford’s thriller, What Lies Beneath,
which opened in July 2000 with close to
$30 million on its way to $155 million.
Disney has given their thriller a
fantastic promotional campaign, with
mysterious and unrevealing trailers that
should entice many moviegoers and send
them to their local theaters for some
genuine scares. The mouse house is
likely to put the film in about 3200
theaters, which could display great legs
because of positive moviegoer word of
mouth, a lack of competitive thrillers
in the marketplace and expected critical
acclaim.
2) xXx (August 9)
Opening: $55m Total: $166m
Rising star Vin Diesel stars in xXx, a
high-octane action flick which should
have young people rushing to their local
movie theaters. This film should also
solidify his status on the A-list. xXx
could perform similarly to last year’s
smash, The Fast and the Furious, which
opened in June with $40 million on its
way to a smashing $140 million. xXx is
Vin’s follow up to Furious and could
drive fans furiously to their
multiplexes. Helping Diesel will be
Samuel L. Jackson, who appeals to both
young people and adults, and could
broaden the age of xXx’s audiences. The
movie also has many things against it
though.
For instance,
the film enters a very competitive
market, as it shares a release date with
Spy Kids 2 and Blood Work, and tackles
the sophomore weekend of Signs.
Regardless, xXx should pull in a large
chunk of young people. A very familiar
storyline will have little effect on the
films box office prospects, as it offers
great action sequences and explosions.
Sony is likely to put this film in 3000+
theaters, and box office fireworks are
surefire. Legs are very questionable,
but should be decent due to a lack of
good action films over the rest of the
summer. xXx should be watched carefully
because it has a great chance of pulling
an August upset, and finishing ahead of
Disney’s Signs.
3) Spy Kids 2
(August 9) Opening: $31m (5
day) Total: $85m
Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams is
opening alongside xXx and Bloodwork, and
will fill the void of good children’s
films in the current marketplace. With
Stuart Little 2 and The Country Bears
under performing, the field is wide open
for a film to sweep children back into
their local movie theaters.
Antonio
Banderas and Carla Gugino are back in a
Spy Kids film after a mere year absence,
and could help pull in huge crowds. The
original Spy Kids opened in March 2001
with about $27 million, on its way to
$113 million. It struck a chord with
young moviegoers by offering appealing
children adventures and interesting
gadgets. Spy Kids 2 does have a
relatively open marketplace but could be
unappealing to moviegoers who feel that
it is practically the same movie as its
predecessor. Regardless, sequels have
shown a great amount of triumph
recently, and Spy Kids 2 should be no
different. It could display great legs
similarly to last year’s Disney kidpic,
The Princess Diaries. Apparently Miramax
is so confident with Spy Kids 2 that
they have already green lit a Spy Kids
3, set for release in July 2003.
4) Blood Work (August 9)
Opening: $14m Total: $67m
Clint Eastwood is back after a two-year
absence and could pull in Space Cowboys’
numbers. Eastwood has mass appeal with
adult moviegoers and consistently stars
in good quality adult fare. Space
Cowboys opened in August 2000 with $18
million, on its way to a smashing $90
million. He plays a retired police
detective in his latest film, and could
churn yet another hit.
Blood Work
should grab good reviews from critics
and could display some of this summer’s
most durable legs. This type of film is
exactly what Eastwood fans enjoy, and he
should score a decent hit with his
latest thriller. Tight competition from
Mel Gibson’s Signs could hinder Blood
Work’s box office prospects, however, as
they both appeal to the same audience
but should both survive as the
marketplace expands to accommodate the
two August releases.
5) Blue Crush (August 16)
Opening: $17m Total: $55m
The surfing film, Blue Crush, debuts on
August 16, a week after xXx. This movie
could be trampled due to the immense
competition for young people’s money.
Fortunately, Blue Crush offers a lot of
female appeal and is the summer’s first
major female-skewing flick since last
June’s Divine Secrets of the YaYa
Sisterhood. Crush could perform
similarly to 1999’s Coyote Ugly, which
opened with $17 million, on its way to a
great $61 million. Michelle Rodriguez
from The Fast and the Furious stars in
the film, along with Kate Bosworth.
Despite a lack of substantial star
power, Blue Crush should still find an
audience and could post some solid late
summer grosses.
Other July
Releases:
6) Pluto Nash (August 16)
Opening: $14m Total: $42m
(A full Pluto Nash spotlight will be
appearing soon, focusing on its box
office prospects and Eddie Murphy’s
depreciating star power)
7) Simone (August 16)
Opening: $13m Total: $40m
8) Master of Disguise (August 2)
Opening: $10m Total: $35m
9) Serving Sara (August 23)
Opening: $9.5m Total: $30m
10) Feardotcom (August 30)
Opening: $11m (4 day) Total:
$28m
11) Undisputed (Release Date N/A)
Opening: $7 million Total:
$24m
12) Slap Her, She’s French (August 30)
Opening: $8m (4 day) Total:
$22m
13) Run Tel Dat (August 2)
Opening: $6.5m Total: $20m