Month: July 2006

I’m assuming that Nicholas Hytner‘s film version of Alan Bennett‘s The History Boys (Fox Searchlight, 11.24), which has the spiritual and thematic ingredients required for Best Picture consideration in spades, will play the Toronto Film Festival.

I still think there’s a speed bump waiting to happen in the subplot about the older teacher fondling some of his students, but the stage version, which won won a passel of Tony awards (including one for Best Play), is so rich and resounding, and it says so many right things in such a commanding way, that it’s hard to imagine the film not being received with great end-of-the-year, award-level acclaim. Unless, of course, Hytner somehow cocks it up.

Otis: I set the first directional vector to 9, the second to 38, and the third one to 117.
Luthor: What about the fourth one?
Otis: Whuh-whuh-whuh…what fourth one?
Luthor: Wait a minute…you set the third one to 117?
Otis: Yes.

Luthor: Otis…Otis! The third one was supposed to set to 11, and the fourth one 7!
Otis: Oh, uh…gee, gee, Mr. Luthor. I wrote the numbers on my arm and…I, I, I guess my arm…oh, golly, I guess it wasn’t long enough.
Luthor: Otis? Would you like to see a long arm? Would you like to see a very, very long arm? Otis? Otis!!!

The Devil Wears Prada did better that expected last night — $9.1 million with a projected $27.8 million by Sunday night. Earlier this week it was being projected to pull in a weekend figure in the low 20s, but tracking began to really accelerate over the last few days, especially (obviously) among women, and not just 20-somethings. Adam Sandler’s Click, a film for the ages, was off 57% from last Friday for a $6,173,000 haul — a 47% dip is being projected for the weekend. Cars did $4 million and Nacho Libre earned $1,741,000.

Superman Returns did $16,727,000 yesterday (Friday, 6.30) — another indication of good but not great business. If this film had serious across-the-board heat yesterday’s tally would have been higher than Wednesday’s (6.28) haul of $18.3 million, which is what Warner Bros. claimed. (The $3 million earned from Tuesday’s late-night shows made a total of $21.3 million.) On a long holiday weekend, it’s axiomatic that Friday-night business on a film that’s really working will overtake the mid-week opening-day total…and this didn’t happen. The three-day weekend projection (factoring in a strong Sunday) is $50.1 million, which will take it to an $82 million total, leaving Monday and Tuesday business to bring in the final $20 million or so (perhaps $25) for a seven-day total of just over $100 million. Next weekend’s business (i.e., up against Pirates 2) will be in the low to mid 20s.