..Gary Dretzka
..Noah Forrest
..Leonard Klady
..David Poland
..Douglas Pratt
..Ray Pride
..Kim Voynar
..Michael Wilmington

October 22, 2006 Weekend Estimates Domestic Market Share Presto … Chango The Prestige apparently had the magic to ascend to the top of the box office chart with an estimated $14.8 million. In a session that had anticipated Flags of Our Fathers would take the weekend, the saga of the "greatest generation" struggled to $10.2 and ranked third overall. A glut of new product contributed to a significant box office boast. Freshman entries included the updated equine fave Flicka galloping to $7.6 million; Sofia Coppola's hot button Marie Antoinette serving up $5.3 million; and a 3-D enhanced version of The Nightmare Before Christmas generating an eye-popping $3.2 million in limited release. Additionally, there were two potent entries on the Bollywood circuit, several hot docs, a local entry in Quebec and a very good bow for Running with Scissors to cut the muster. Leading up to the weekend, industry pundits had prognosticated essentially what transpired if one flip flopped the results for The Prestige and Flags. Prestige, an often lethal yarn of rival fin de siecle magicians, appeared a bit arcane and indistinct. However, critical response was generally very favorable and resulted in strong opening day business and a modest 14% boost on Saturday. Flags of Our Fathers also experienced a 14% boost on Saturday but its first day indicated the highly anticipated production would struggle to reach $10 million rather than early estimates of $15 million plus. Exit polls revealed that 80% of its audience was older than 25 and the challenge ahead will be to bring in a younger crowd while maintaining its position as an award's contendor. Marie Antoinette had better success drawing in the under 25s and both its weekend tally and critical response was better than anticipated. Since debuting at Cannes, the stylized portrait of the tragic Queen has divided critics as well as audiences in a handful of European countries. The venerable Flicka returned to the screen and critics were generally surprised at the quality on the endeavor. However, business was no better than fair and its commercial pace will now be dictated by strides in ancillary arenas. Weekend revenues should exceed $105 million for a 6% drop from the prior frame. It nonetheless accounts for a 21% increase placed alongside the comparable 2005 session when new entries Doom and Dreamer led the field with respective grosses of $15.5 million and $9.2 million. Once again both The Departed and Open Season held their ground in a highly competitive marketplace with grosses at a 70% level. The rest of the wide release field was pumping at about 50%. Both The Queen and King (of Scotland) continued slow expansions but despite glowing reviews for both, only Elizabeth II is maintaining regal returns while the deposed despot Idi Amin cannot staunch commercial erosion. Little Children boosted its theater count from 5 to 32 and maintained a solid standing but Infamous's second weekend experienced a sharp 59% decline. Digitally enhanced and reconstituted for 3-D, Tim Burton's 1993 vintage The Nightmare Before Christmas returned with a vengeance. Released in 168 locations, it generated a roughly $19,000 average with a staggering record-breaking $290,000 gross from the El Capitain in Hollywood. Also record-breaking at least in exposure was the Hindi Don that bowed in 113 theaters. The circuit has generally supported wide releases in the area of 65 to 70 playdates and the assertive push to expand Bollywood's reach paid off well with a $630,000 weekend. Jaan-E-Mann on 65 screens was a disappointment with a $122,000 box office. While response was mixed for Running with Scissors its $233,000 gross in eight venues belied antipathy. A notch down were returns for the documentaries 51 Birch Street and Jonestown that amassed, respectively, $10,300 in two situations and a solo gross of $7,900. Congorama, a hit with Toronto Fest audiences, generated an OK $86,300 in 27 situations in Quebec. - by Leonard Klady Weekend Estimates - October 22, 2006 Title Distributor Gross (average) % change Theaters Cume The Prestige BV 14.8 (6,480) -- 2281 14.8 The Departed WB 13.7 (4,570) -30% 3005 77.2 Flags of Our Fathers Par 10.2 (5,420) -- 1876 10.2 Open Season Sony 8.0 (2,380) -29% 3379 67.2 The Grudge 2 Sony 7.7 (2,400) -64% 3214 31.4 Flicka Fox 7.6 (2,650) -- 2877 7.6 Man of the Year Uni 6.9 (2,750) -44% 2522 22.4 Marie Antoinette Sony 5.3 (6,150) -- 859 5.3 Texas Chainsaw: The Beginning New Line 3.8 (1,470) -51% 2569 36 The Marine Fox 3.7 (1,440) -49% 2545 12.5 The Guardian BV 3.6 (1,410) -39% 2558 46.5 The Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D BV 3.2 (18,990) -- 168 3.2 Employee of the Month Lions Gate 3.1 (1,430) -41% 2141 24.1 One Night with the King Gener8Xion 2.2 (2,400) -47% 908 7.5 Jackass: Number Two Par 1.5 (1,080) -54% 1401 71 The Queen Miramax 1.5 (15,250) 49% 99 3.8 The Illusionist YF/FS/Odeon .78 (1,320) -43% 592 37.5 Facing the Giants IDP .73 (2,060) -11% 355 5.2 Don UTV .63 (5,580) 113 0.63 Little Miss Sunshine Fox Searchlight .56 (1,530) -34% 367 57.2 Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) $99.50 -- -- -- % Change (Last Year) -- 21% -- -- -- % Change (Last Week) -- -6% -- -- -- Also debuting/expanding The Last King of Scotland Fox Searchlight .42 (3,740) -29% 113 1.9 Running with Scissors Sony   .23 (28,500) -- 8 0.23 Little Children New Line .23 (7,125) 171% 32 0.5 Infamous WIP .18 (1,020) -59% 179 0.8 Jaan-E-Mann Adlab .12 (1,890) -- 65 0.12 Congorama Christal 86,300 (3,200) -- 27 0.09 Sleeping Dogs Lie IDP 10,500 (1,750) -- 6 0.01 51 Birch Street Truly Indie 10,300 (5,150) -- 2 0.01 Jonestown 7th Art 7,920 (7,920) -- 1 0.01 Domestic Market Share: To October 22, 2006 Distributor Gross Mktshr Sony (27) 1309.3 18.00% Buena Vista (20) 1228.2 16.90% Fox (21) 1019.8 14.00% Paramount (13) 759.9 10.50% Universal (18) 753.2 10.40% Warner Bros. (18) 740.6 10.20% Lions Gate (16) 244.7 3.40% Weinstein Co. (13) 224.9 3.10% New Line (11) 198.7 2.70% Focus (11) 171.9 2.40% Fox Searchlight (11) 157.1 2.20% MGM (5) 87.5 1.20% Sony Classics (19) 52.4 0.70% FreeStyle (8) 50.7 0.70% Other * (235) 264.2 3.60% 7263.1 100.00%