Not Much Bang for Its Bucks

Whether it was the mostly unfavorable reviews, the coincidence of another summer film about a space catastrophe or the misfortune of the calendar, “Armageddon” didn’t make for spectacular fireworks over the 4th of July weekend.

Perhaps it was all three variables that contributed to Disney/Touchstone’s highly touted and expensive action film coming in just shy of the $53 million mark since its release Wednesday.

“Armageddon’s” holiday opening fell considerably short of the last two July 4 blockbusters: “Men in Black,” which last year grossed $79 million in its first five days, and “Independence Day,” which took in $85 million over the same period in 1996. “Armageddon,” however, was saddled with the holiday falling on Saturday, normally the biggest moviegoing day of the week.

The film, which stars Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck in Disney’s most expensive movie ever--an estimated $150 million in production and $75 million in worldwide marketing costs--in one regard even paled in comparison to this summer’s other asteroid-threatens-Earth movie: “Deep Impact” crashed through with $41 million in its non-holiday opening weekend in early May; “Armageddon’s” three-day weekend gross was $34.8 million.

Because of the Saturday holiday, when parties and fireworks were alternatives, most films in the marketplace declined more than 30% from the previous weekend. According to the industry tracking service Exhibitor Relations, the top 10 films didn’t even crack $100 million--a 15% dip from last year’s $115 million.

“Armageddon” accounted for much of the difference. Like many movies, it experienced a decline from Friday to Saturday, in its case about 19%. That and excoriating reviews definitely curtailed the potential for the film, which played in 3,127 theaters, averaging about $11,000 a theater. Nonetheless, it was Disney’s best live action debut ever, according to film division chairman Dick Cook. Initial business was from the very young crowd, but, by the end of the weekend, adults finally showed up to judge for themselves. Exit poll ratings are among Disney’s highest, according to Cook.

The film’s producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, maintained that “Armageddon” is playing well across the nation, and the South and West “are the places where you can’t get a seat.” He acknowledged that his film’s next big hurdle is holding on against two other male-oriented action movies, “Lethal Weapon 4,” starring Mel Gibson, and “Small Soldiers,” featuring an army of lethal action toys. (Both films open Friday.) But he points out that “Lethal Weapon” has an R rating and the PG-13 “Armageddon” has a high satisfaction level. “Those movies will create a lot of heat, but hopefully, we’ll keep our share of the business.”

Eddie Murphy’s “Dr. Dolittle” continued to sizzle over the Fourth of July weekend. The No. 2-ranked film took full advantage of the family audience availability to chalk up a strong $19.8 million in 2,669 houses over the holiday weekend, almost $7,500 a theater. With huge midweek grosses and a 10-day total of $65 million, “Dolittle” is now clearly headed into $100 million territory.

“Dolittle” didn’t have the families all to himself. That feisty little “Mulan” did herself and her family proud with an estimated $11.6 million in her third weekend of battle for about $77 million to date, making this one another sure $100 million grosser. Another family film, “Madeline,” comes in on Friday to challenge “Mulan,” while “Small Soldiers” will try to steal some of “Dolittle’s” thunder.

“Out of Sight,” starring George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez, came in just ahead of “The X-Files” movie for the weekend. The former declined a sharp 46% in its second weekend, grossing $6.5 million for the three days for $23 million in 10 days. But “X-Files” dropped even more--51%--capturing $6.45 million for about $67 million in its first three weeks.

“The Truman Show” has already left the $100 million mark behind. With $5.7 million over the past weekend, it’s now close to $110 million. It was followed by “Six Days, Seven Nights” with $5.4 million over the weekend and $56.4 million so far.

In eighth place was “A Perfect Murder” with $3.25 million and a five-week total of almost $61 million. It was followed by “Hope Floats”--$1.6 million and $52 million to date. Hanging tough in 10th is “The Horse Whisperer,” its $1.4 million weekend contributing to its $69-million total.

“Gone With the Wind” grossed $820,000 in its second weekend of re-release on just 214 screens, for a grand total of almost $195 million since the film’s 1939 release, according to New Line Cinema.