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"Man On Fire" Tops Box Office
Sunday, April 25, 2004 6:33 PM EDT
Denzel Washington's new thriller "Man on Fire" narrowly beat fellow rookie "13 Going on 30" for honors at the North American box office, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.
"Man on Fire", in which Washington plays an alcoholic bodyguard who lays waste to large swaths of Mexico City's underworld to avenge the kidnapping of a young girl, earned $23 million according to Twentieth Century Fox.
If figures hold when final data are issued on Monday, the three-day bow will represent a new record for Washington, surpassing the $22.6 million opening of 2001's "Training Day", for which he went on to win his second Academy Award.
On a lighter note, "13 Going 30", a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Garner as a teenager in a woman's body, earned $22 million in its first three days, according to Columbia Pictures. The film marks the first headlining role for Garner, the star of cult TV spy drama "Alias".
Both films played primarily to women and both exceeded the expectations of their respective studios.
Last weekend's champion, writer/director Quentin Tarantino's revenge saga "Kill Bill-Vol. 2", slipped to No. 3 with $10.4 million.
This weekend marks the first time two films have opened above $20 million in April. "Man on Fire" and "13 Going on 30" helped overall ticket sales post a solid improvement over the year-ago weekend. According to box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, the top 12 films earned $83.7 million, up 12 percent over last year, but down two percent from last weekend.
Budgeted at about $70 million, "Man on Fire" was directed by Tony Scott ("Top Gun") and co-stars Dakota Fanning as a precocious girl who forms a close bond with Washington's character.
"13 Going on 30", directed by Gary Winick ("Tadpole"), actually outgrossed "Man on Fire" on Friday night, Columbia said. The $37 million movie played at far more theaters than "Man on Fire" -- 3,438 vs. 2,978.
The 10-day haul for "Kill Bill-Vol. 2" rose to $43 million -- about $273,000 behind the first installment at the same time in its cycle in October. The new film lost 59 percent of its opening-weekend audience -- the steepest slide in the top 10.
Rounding out the top-five, Lions Gate Films' comic-book adaptation "The Punisher" fell two places to No. 4 with $6.1 million in its second weekend. The Disney barnyard cartoon "Home on the Range" held steady at No. 5 with $3.5 million in its fourth weekend. Their respective totals rose to $24 million and $42.5 million.
For more information, visit our Box Office Report.
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