LDS Films Weekend Box Office Report 28 December 2001

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Feature Films by LDS/Mormon Filmmakers and Actors Weekend Box Office Report (U.S. Domestic Box Office Gross) Weekend of December 28, 2001 [If table lines up improperly, use mono-spaced font, i.e. Courier]

Natl  Film Title                       Weekend Gross
Rank  LDS/Mormon Filmmaker or Actor    Total Gross   Theaters Days
----  ------------------------------   -------        -----   ----
2     Ocean's Eleven                  $16,907,714      3,075    24
      LDS characters: Malloy twins    136,996,174

15    Behind Enemy Lines                2,977,124      1,332    31
      David Veloz (screenwriter)       51,023,475

23    Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure    203,594         19   325
      Scott Swofford (producer)         6,443,686
      Reed Smoot (cinematographer)
      Sam Cardon (composer)
      Stephen L. Johnson (film editor)

27    The Other Side of Heaven            111,621         24    17
      Mitch Davis (screenwriter/director) 522,125
      John G. Groberg (author/character)
      Gerald Molen, John Garbett (producers)
      Steven Ramirez (film editor)

39    Mulholland Drive                     64,285         43    84
      Joyce Eliason (producer/writer)   5,608,043

48    Out Cold                             33,984        104    40
      A. J. Cook (female lead)         16,515,735

50    Life as a House                      30,916         64    66
      Mark Andrus (screenwriter)       15,652,637

54    Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man     18,239          7   605
      Reed Smoot (cinematographer)     12,989,871

57    China: The Panda Adventure           13,712         16   157
      Reed Smoot (cinematographer)      1,716,261

64    Galapagos                             8,566          7   794
      Reed Smoot (cinematographer)     12,020,923

70    Joy Ride                              5,471         12    87
      Paul Walker (2nd billed star)    21,966,161

78    Island of the Sharks                  3,762          5   976
      Alan Williams (composer)         10,572,509

84    All Access                            2,067          3   269
      Reed Smoot (cinematographer)        995,122

92    Mark Twain's America 3D                 437          1  1277
      Alan Williams (composer)          2,137,296

First off, we should mention that after last week's column was posted, additional data came in that slightly modified box office rankings. "The Other Side of Heaven" in 26th place nationwide in total box office revenue for the weekend of December 21st. Actually, it did even better: 24th place, even though it was playing in only 17 theaters -- fewer than any movie that placed higher than it. The per-theater average was even better: "The Other Side of Heaven" was in the top 10 by that measure.

Inadvertantly left off of last week's roundup was Scott Swofford's popular IMAX documentary "Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure", which was in 19th place nationwide for total box office revenue, even though it was shown in only 19 theaters.

This week "Ocean's Eleven" was once again in 2nd place nationwide. "Behind Enemy Lines" slips only slightly from 11th to 15th place after four weeks in release. The nearly $3 million in ticket sales that this film took in this week push its total U.S. box office take to $51 million, which means it has now passed the $50.3 million made by David Veloz's previous best-performing screenplay: "Natural Born Killers" (1994).

The third best box office performance in our roundup is "The Other Side of Heaven", now in 24 theaters and down only slightly from 24th to 26th place nationwide.

Perhaps the weekend after Christmas was a popular time to see an IMAX film. Reed Smoot's "Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man" and "China: The Panda Adventure" both roughly doubled their previous week's take -- without being any any more theaters. This moved these movies up the nationwide rankings to 53rd and 56th place.

[NOTE: Data for "Shackleton's Antararctic Adventure" arrived late. This film was in 23rd place nationwide, pushing "The Other Side of Heaven" above back one spot -- to 27th place.]

New on DVD this week: "The Fast and the Furious" went on sale on January 2nd, and is expected to be a hot seller. This high-octane racing film had a $38 million budget. The movie surprised the industry by opening in 1st place nationwide and going on to gross over $145 million domestically. Mormon actor Paul Walker has the lead role as the film's conflicted hero who finds himself drawn into the world of illegal street racing. The movie is rated PG-13 for language (including a few instances of profanity), some violence, and some sensuality.

Coming soon: Kurt Hale's eagerly anticipated comedy "The Singles Ward" opens soon. A teaser video is online at http://www.singleswardthemovie.com/movietrailer.html Steve Young, Gordon Jump and Will Swenson are in the teaser. Photographs of cameo players on the official website include Richard Dutcher, Julie Stoffer, Ron McBride and Wally Joyner.