Pair of Disney Movies Thrashes
'Alexander' in Box-Office Battle
By MERISSA MARR
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
November 29, 2004; Page B7
Unrivaled on the battlefield, Alexander the Great was no match for Walt Disney Co.'s challengers in Hollywood's brutal Thanksgiving movie wars.
Oliver Stone's three-hour historical epic "Alexander" joined a heaving mass of Hollywood fare fighting it out for moviegoers over the holiday weekend, but two Disney releases -- "National Treasure" and "The Incredibles" -- sucked the life out of much of the competition.
The Nicolas Cage adventure "National Treasure" sold an estimated $33.1 million of tickets in North America over the three-day weekend to take the No. 1 spot, with "The Incredibles" following in second place with $24.1 million. The animated tale of a family of superheroes, which Disney co-financed with Pixar Animation Studios, now ranks among the year's top five movies, with $214.7 million in domestic ticket sales so far.
Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. was left nursing its wounds at the expense of a Disney movie for the second time this month. Having seen its pricey children's movie "The Polar Express" previously slowed down by "The Incredibles," the studio had to make do with sixth place for the debut of the $150 million-plus "Alexander," with an estimated $13.5 million of domestic ticket sales over the weekend. Warner's risk is limited, though: it didn't finance the picture and paid around $50 million for the right to distribute it in a handful of territories. The film was financed by Germany's Intermedia Films.
Thanksgiving is traditionally a springboard for Hollywood movies into the crucial holiday season and this year was more crowded than ever, with a slew of new releases backing up into early November. By Thanksgiving weekend, new releases such as "Alexander" and "Christmas with the Kranks" were up against a raft of big-ticket holdovers.
This holiday season is especially important for Hollywood: 2004 has been an erratic year at best, with audiences sagging over critical periods. For the year to date, movie-theater audiences are down around 2%. If this weekend's estimates stick, however, it will rank as the second best Thanksgiving ever, with $215 million of ticket sales for the top 12 movies over the five-day frame, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co.
Disney's one-two strike is the first time a studio has landed the top two spots over Thanksgiving. "These two movies complemented each other in a unique way," said Chuck Viane, Disney's president of distribution. "'National Treasure' opened last weekend with an adult skew and got younger this weekend, whereas the audience for 'The Incredibles' started young and got older."
The hits are a welcome relief for Disney, which this year has suffered washouts including "The Alamo," "Around the World in 80 Days" and "King Arthur."
In terms of new releases, "Christmas with the Kranks," from Sony Corp.'s Columbia Pictures, was the most popular with $22.7 million of ticket sales over the three-day weekend and $32 million since its debut Wednesday, outshining "Alexander," which took in $21.6 million over the same five days.
Warner Bros. had more luck on "The Polar Express" front, with $20.06 million of ticket sales in its third weekend, a 28% jump on the previous week. While it still has a long way to go to make money, Warner Bros. expects another kick when kids are on Christmas break. Warner Bros. has limited its risk on the movie: Real-estate heir Steve Bing is financing half of the budget.
'Alexander' in Box-Office Battle
By MERISSA MARR
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
November 29, 2004; Page B7
Unrivaled on the battlefield, Alexander the Great was no match for Walt Disney Co.'s challengers in Hollywood's brutal Thanksgiving movie wars.
Oliver Stone's three-hour historical epic "Alexander" joined a heaving mass of Hollywood fare fighting it out for moviegoers over the holiday weekend, but two Disney releases -- "National Treasure" and "The Incredibles" -- sucked the life out of much of the competition.
The Nicolas Cage adventure "National Treasure" sold an estimated $33.1 million of tickets in North America over the three-day weekend to take the No. 1 spot, with "The Incredibles" following in second place with $24.1 million. The animated tale of a family of superheroes, which Disney co-financed with Pixar Animation Studios, now ranks among the year's top five movies, with $214.7 million in domestic ticket sales so far.
Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. was left nursing its wounds at the expense of a Disney movie for the second time this month. Having seen its pricey children's movie "The Polar Express" previously slowed down by "The Incredibles," the studio had to make do with sixth place for the debut of the $150 million-plus "Alexander," with an estimated $13.5 million of domestic ticket sales over the weekend. Warner's risk is limited, though: it didn't finance the picture and paid around $50 million for the right to distribute it in a handful of territories. The film was financed by Germany's Intermedia Films.
Thanksgiving is traditionally a springboard for Hollywood movies into the crucial holiday season and this year was more crowded than ever, with a slew of new releases backing up into early November. By Thanksgiving weekend, new releases such as "Alexander" and "Christmas with the Kranks" were up against a raft of big-ticket holdovers.
This holiday season is especially important for Hollywood: 2004 has been an erratic year at best, with audiences sagging over critical periods. For the year to date, movie-theater audiences are down around 2%. If this weekend's estimates stick, however, it will rank as the second best Thanksgiving ever, with $215 million of ticket sales for the top 12 movies over the five-day frame, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co.
Disney's one-two strike is the first time a studio has landed the top two spots over Thanksgiving. "These two movies complemented each other in a unique way," said Chuck Viane, Disney's president of distribution. "'National Treasure' opened last weekend with an adult skew and got younger this weekend, whereas the audience for 'The Incredibles' started young and got older."
The hits are a welcome relief for Disney, which this year has suffered washouts including "The Alamo," "Around the World in 80 Days" and "King Arthur."
In terms of new releases, "Christmas with the Kranks," from Sony Corp.'s Columbia Pictures, was the most popular with $22.7 million of ticket sales over the three-day weekend and $32 million since its debut Wednesday, outshining "Alexander," which took in $21.6 million over the same five days.
Warner Bros. had more luck on "The Polar Express" front, with $20.06 million of ticket sales in its third weekend, a 28% jump on the previous week. While it still has a long way to go to make money, Warner Bros. expects another kick when kids are on Christmas break. Warner Bros. has limited its risk on the movie: Real-estate heir Steve Bing is financing half of the budget.