MLK Jr. Day Weekend, 2006
THTRS = Number of Screens
* Denotes new release.
Click on title to read CB Review
| 1. | Glory Road * |
| $13,577,000 - Total: $13,577,000 | |
| LW: N WR: 1 THTRS: 2222 |
| 1. | Hoodwinked * |
| $16,620,000 - Total: $16,620,000 | |
| LW: N WR: 5 THTRS: 2394 |
| 2. | Last Holiday * |
| $12,825,000 - Total: $12,825,000 | |
| LW: N WR: 1 THTRS: 2514 |
| 2. | Glory Road * |
| $16,497,000 - Total: $16,497,000 | |
| LW: N WR: 1 THTRS: 2222 |
| 3. | Hoodwinked * |
| $12,383,000 - Total: $12,383,000 | |
| LW: N WR: 5 THTRS: 2394 |
| 3. | Last Holiday * |
| $15,700,000 - Total: $15,700,000 | |
| LW: N WR: 1 THTRS: 2514 |
| 4. | The Chronicles of Narnia:The Lion, The Witch,and The Wardrobe |
| $10,029,000 - Total: $261,240,000 | |
| LW: 2 WR: 6 THTRS: 3224 |
| 4. | The Chronicles of Narnia:The Lion, The Witch,and The Wardrobe |
| $12,230,000 - Total: $263,441,000 | |
| LW: 2 WR: 6 THTRS: 3224 |
| 5. | Hostel |
| $9,900,000 - Total: $35,061,000 | |
| LW: 1 WR: 2 THTRS: 2337 |
| 5. | Hostel |
| $11,650,000 - Total: $36,811,000 | |
| LW: 1 WR: 2 THTRS: 2337 |
| 6. | Fun with Dick and Jane |
| $8,700,000 - Total: $92,601,000 | |
| LW: 4 WR: 4 THTRS: 3239 |
| 6. | Fun with Dick and Jane |
| $10,300,000 - Total: $94,201,000 | |
| LW: 4 WR: 4 THTRS: 3239 |
| 7. | King Kong |
| $7,499,000 - Total: $202,965,000 | |
| LW: 3 WR: 5 THTRS: 2814 |
| 7. | King Kong |
| $9,201,000 - Total: $204,667,000 | |
| LW: 3 WR: 5 THTRS: 2814 |
| 8. | Tristan and Isolde * |
| $6,625,000 - Total: $6,625,000 | |
| LW: N WR: 1 THTRS: 1845 |
| 8. | Tristan and Isolde * |
| $7,850,000 - Total: $7,850,000 | |
| LW: N WR: 1 THTRS: 1845 |
| 9. | Brokeback Mountain |
| $5,792,000 - Total: $30,825,000 | |
| LW: 8 WR: 6 THTRS: 683 |
| 9. | Brokeback Mountain |
| $7,055,000 - Total: $32,088,000 | |
| LW: 8 WR: 6 THTRS: 683 |
| 10. | Cheaper by the Dozen 2 |
| $5,075,000 - Total: $72,937,000 | |
| LW: 5 WR: 4 THTRS: 2773 |
| 10. | Cheaper by the Dozen 2 |
| $6,775,000 - Total: $74,637,000 | |
| LW: 5 WR: 4 THTRS: 2773 |
Until just now I never really drew the connection between it being Martin Luther King Jr. Day Weekend and the debut for Glory Road, the film based on a true story about Texas Western coach Don Haskins who broke boundaries by taking the nation's first all-Black starting line-up basketball team all the way to win the 1966 NCAA championship. Everyone else in America must have noticed since they took the movie all the way to number one this weekend. Well, right up until the actual celebration holiday on Monday when they tipped the scales in favor of cheap CG animated Hoodwinked. Go figure.
Nothing else changed from the 3-Day to the 4-Day weekend. For whatever reason Hoodwinked suddenly became the Monday favorite, or at least that's what's been predicted. The top three films are all within one million dollars of each other so there's a chance things may get shaken up a bit when the final numbers roll in.
The battle between King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia is finally waning as the movies of the New Year start rolling in. Narnia is going stronger, holding to the fourth spot this week while Kong slips down to eighth. At this rate Narnia may do better than Star Wars did last year in terms of weeks in the top ten. Revenge of the Sith finally dropped off the chart after eight weeks.
While none of this week's new films performed all that well, the biggest loser was Tristan and Isolde which came in at a miserable number 8 with less than $8 million over the four day holiday. Despite a wacky marketing scheme aimed at the teenage crowd, any members of the teen set who bothered getting out to the theaters chose Queen Latifah's remake Last Holiday or the Rashomon version of Little Red Riding Hood.
Next weekend will feature 2006's first potentially major blockbuster. As the only movie opening in seriously wide release, Underworld: Evolution swoops into theaters with high anticipation. It will be interesting to see how it holds up in this economic climate of slumpish ticket sales. The new year started out with a bang but as the holidays have faded, so have the box office receipts. The other film opening next week will only see 1100+ theaters. End of the Spear has relied heavily on grass roots level marketing strategies. It will be interesting to see how that pays off.
