DISNEY - ICY COLD OUTSIDE, BUT BOX OFFICE IS HOT

Snow and sleet in wide areas of the country did not deter moviegoers as they packed theaters for a second weekend -- most of them to see Warner Bros.' 300. The comic-book-like retelling of the ancient battle of Thermopylae captured $32.9 million at the box office, significantly above the $31.2 million that the studio had estimated on Sunday that it would bring in. Disney's Wild Hogs roared past the $100-million mark in its gross during its third weekend as it counted $19.1 million in ticket sales. Sony's Premonition bowed in third place with $17.6 million. Universal's horror flick Dead Silence followed with $7.8 million. Rounding out the top five was the Chris Rock romantic comedy I Think I Love My Wife, which opened with a disappointing $5.7 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. 300, Warner Bros., $32,877,328, 2 Wks. ($129,165,656); 2. Wild Hogs, Disney, $19,058,871, 3 Wks. ($104,226,868); 3. Premonition, Sony, $17,558,689, (New); 4. Dead Silence, Universal, $7,842,725, (New); 5. I Think I Love My Wife, Fox Searchlight, $5,674,802, (New); 6. Bridge to Terabithia, Disney, $5,192,153, 5 Wks. ($74,967,513); 7. Ghost Rider, Sony, $4,176,658, 5 Wks. ($110,378,574); 8. Zodiac, Paramount, $3,287,560, 3 Wks. ($29,137,557); 9. Norbit, Paramount, $2,766,593, 6 Wks. ($92,438,806); 10. Music and Lyrics, Warner Bros., $2,272,317, 5 Wks. ($47,448,875).

20/03/2007