DISNEY - FATTER-THAN-EXPECTED HOGS

Not only did the estimates for the biker comedy Wild Hogs exceed analysts' expectations when they came out on Sunday, but the final figures released on Monday exceeded the original estimates. The Disney film, which stars John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macy and Tim Allen, hauled in $39.7 million, well above the 38 million that the studio had expected and nearly double the amount that box-office forecasters had predicted at the time the movie was released. Paramount's Zodiac opened in second place with $13.4 million, while Sony's Ghost Rider, which had held he top position during the prior two weeks, slid to third place with $11.6 million. The only other new film to open in wide release, Black Snake Moan, slithered in at eighth place with $4.1 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date):
1. Wild Hogs, Disney, $39,699,023, (New); 2. Zodiac, Paramount, $13,395,610, (New); 3. Ghost Rider, Sony, $11,553,469, 3 Wks. ($94,810,845); 4. Bridge to Terabithia, Disney, $8,904,512, 3 Wks. ($58,207,144); 5. The Number 23, New Line, $6,486,304, 2 Wks. ($24,119,947); 6. Norbit, Paramount, $6,398,696, 4 Wks. ($82,905,396); 7. Music and Lyrics, Warner Bros., $4,888,337, 3 Wks. ($38,673,388); 8. Black Snake Moan, Paramount, $4,143,199, (New); 9. Reno 911!: Miami, 20th Century Fox, $3,942,926, 2 Wks. ($16,605,822); 10. Breach, Universal, $3,617,670, 3 Wks. ($25,556,015).

06/03/2007