<i>Grinch</i> No Match For Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt managed to end The Grinch's winning streak at movie turnstiles this weekend.
The romantic comedy What Women Want had the biggest opening weekend so far this month, breaking Jim Carrey's four-week stranglehold on the top spot, reports CBS News Entertainment Contributor Laurie Hibberd.
Here are the numbers according to Hollywood.com:
- What Women Want took in $34.4 million.
- The teen comedy Dude, Where's My Car? made $14 million.
- The Grinch dropped two spots to number three with $13 million.
- The Emperor's New Groove, $10 million.
- Vertical Limit, $9 million.
- Prof of Life, $5.225 million.
- Unbreakable, $3.9 million.
- 102 Dalmations, $2.7 milion.
- Dungeons and Dragons, $2.225 million.
- Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, $1.825 million.
Hibberd said that the holiday season isn't a good time for a drama to open, but adults went to see What Women Want because it's a great date movie.
Mel Gibson has a consistently impressive box-office record with dramas -- Ransom did $32 million its opening weekend, Lethal Weapon 4 did $34 million and Lethal Weapon 3 did $33 million - but before What Women Want he hadn't done a romantic comedy in a long time.
Dude, Where's My Car? cost less to make than the $14 million it earned over the weekend, according to the Fox studio, but Hibberd said she's heard the film may have cost between $15 million and $20 million. In any case, she said, it's going to make back its money, partially because of the appeal of its two "young, pretty hot stars."
The Grinch may have fallen a couple of notches but nobody needs to worry about its overall financial success.
"It's going to be the number one moneymaker of this year," said Hibberd, "unless it drops out of sight this week. It only needs to make $3 million to be the number one moneymaker of the year," beating out Mission Impossible 2.
Hibberd thinks that The Grinch will probably become a classic, "just like Scrooge with Bill Murray."
As the year comes to a close, Hibberd also discussed her Oscar picks.
"I'm so unexcited about the Oscars this year," said Hibberd. "I think Erin Brokovich will do well and Julia Roberts will get a nod and Requiem For a Dream and Ellen Burstyn will do well, and Dancing in the Dark...I haven't seen Castaway but Tom Hanks is a shoo-in for a nomination for that."
One movie that mada huge impact on the public this year was Gladiator.
Hibberd points out that Remember The Titans also did well and Traffic is getting tremendous notices. Finally, Hibberd said she loved Family Man with Nicholas Cage.