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The Big Hit (1998)

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7 articles from 1998

18 May 1998 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

The impact on the box office wasn't nearly so deep as it was a week ago but Deep Impact (1998) managed to remain the weekend leader, taking in an estimated $23.3 million and bringing its 10-day cume to $74 million. In second place was Robert Redford's Horse Whisperer, The (1998) with about $14 million. But Warner Bros.' quest to challenge Disney in animation with Quest for Camelot (1998) appeared stymied as the film took in only $6.4 million. Fox's Bulworth, which was released in only two theaters (in New York and L.A.) took in a sensational $135, 000, with most screenings sold out by early afternoon. The film will roll out against Godzilla (1998) this week. The top ten films over the weekend according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:1. Deep Impact (1998), Paramount/DreamWorks $23 million; 2. Horse Whisperer, The (1998), Disney-Touchstone, $14 million; 3. The Quest for Camelot (1998), Warner Bros., $6.4 million; 4. City of Angels (1998), Warner Bros., $3.2 million; 5. He Got Game (1998), Disney-Touchstone, $2.4 million; 6. Titanic (1997), Fox/Paramount, $2.2 million; 7. Woo (1998), New Line, $1.71 million; 8. Paulie (1998), DreamWorks, $1.7 million; 9. Misérables, Les (1998), Sony-Columbia, $1.5 million; 10. Big Hit, The (1998), Sony-TriStar, $1.4 million.

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12 May 1998 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Final results fell noticeably short of the $41.9 million studio estimate, but DreamWorks-Paramount's Deep Impact (1998) nevertheless set a new record for a three-day May opening with $41.2 million, nudging out the 1996 opening of Twister (1996), which garnered $41.1 million. John Krier, head of Exhibitor Relations, which tracks box-office results, told the Associated Press Monday, "I think we all got a surprise. ... But it's a good omen. It shows that the business is out there." The results apparently surprised even Paramount execs. "We had an inkling it was going to do in the 30s millions, " Robert Friedman vice chairman of Paramount's Motion Picture Group, told today's (Tuesday) Los Angeles Times. Other final box-office results, according to Exhibitor Relations:2. City of Angels (1998), Warner Bros., $4.7 million; 3. He Got Game (1998), Disney-Touchstone, $3.7 million; 4. Titanic (1997), Fox/Paramount, $3.2 million (bringing its 18-week domestic total to $569.8 million); 5. Misérables, Les (1998), Sony-Columbia, $2.8 million; 6. Paulie, DreamWorks, $2.6 million; 7. Woo, New Line, $2.5 million; 8. Big Hit, The (1998), Sony-TriStar, $2.33 million; 9. Black Dog (1998), Universal, $2.3 million; 10. Object of My Affection, The (1998), Fox, $2.1 million.

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11 May 1998 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Deep Impact (1998) penetrated a field of mostly negative and so-so reviews and burst forth at the box office with a May record gross of $41.9 million , far surpassing the weekend take of the other top-ten contenders combined, according to estimates released by Exhibitor Relations Co. Sunday. (Daily Variety today -- Monday -- suggested that the estimate for Impact might not hold up after Sunday's results are tabulated, given competition from the TV telecasts of the NBA playoffs.) Last week's leader, Spike Lee's He Got Game (1998), dropped to third place with $3.8 million. City of Angels (1998) held onto second place with $4.6 million. The performance of Impact, which came during a week when box office results are traditionally lackluster, represented the latest in a series of fortuitous developments for Paramount, which included the record-breaking streak of Titanic (1997) (which itself wound up in fourth place in its 18th week with $3 million). "We're ecstatic, " Rob Friedman, vice chairman of Paramount's motion picture group, told the Associated Press. Like Titanic (1997), Deep Impact (1998) was the result of a partnership with another studio, in this case, DreamWorks. Other top box-office performers:5. Misérables, Les (1998), $2.8 million; 6. (Tie) Paulie, Woo, $2.5 million; 8. Big Hit, The (1998), $2.4 million; 9. (Tie) The Big Hit, Object of My Affection, The (1998), $2.1 million.

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5 May 1998 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Spike Lee's basketball drama He Got Game (1998) saw cash dribble in on Sunday as it was apparently hit harder than expected by people who would rather watch basketball at home than on the big screen. Final box-office figures released by Exhibitor Relations Monday indicated that the film collected only $7.6 million for the weekend rather than the expected $8.1 million, despite a relatively solid performance on Friday and Saturday. The take was nevertheless the weekend's best, topping the No. 2 film, City of Angels (1998) by $1 million.The Big Hit, The (1998) was third with $5.8 million, followed by the opening of Misérables, Les (1998) with $5 million and Black Dog (1998) with $4.8 million.

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27 April 1998 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Sony production president Chris Lee has told the current Newsweek that, after commissioning a demographic report showing a potential market of 15 million teenagers for movies, "I immediately dedicated a significant part of our movie slate to the younger audience." Lee said that the first picture he greenlighted for that audience was Big Hit, The (1998). (In a feature article on a "generational shift" in Hollywood, Newsweek comments that for many 20-year-olds the film business has become "the Wall Street of the '90s" where riches can be made overnight.)

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27 April 1998 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Apparently sated with romantic comedies, moviegoers doled out an estimated $11 million to see the Mark Wahlberg action flick Big Hit, The (1998) over the weekend, thereby knocking City of Angels (1998) from the perch it had rested on for the past two weekends. Angels glided into second place with $9 million. Another romance, Object of My Affection, The (1998) was third with $5 million in its second week, tied with Titanic (1997) in its 19th week. Lost in Space (1998) dropped to fifth place with $4.4 million, followed by the kids flick Paulie with 4.3 million. Seventh place was claimed by Odd Couple II, The (1998) with $2.5 million. The Players' Club was eighth with $2.2 million, a tad above Mercury Rising (1998) with $2.1 million. The re-release of Scream II rounded out the top 10 with $1.8 million.

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24 April 1998 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Many critics are predicting that Big Hit, The (1998), starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Kirk Wong, will be exactly that when box office results are tallied. The kung-fu comedy is getting mostly take-it-for-what-it-is reviews, with Mike Clark in USA Today concluding: "The Big Hit is fun -- big time." Beth Pinsker in the Dallas Morning News also concludes, "the mix of hard-core action and silly buddy comedy works." But Glenn Whipp in the Los Angeles Daily News calls the film "a brain-dead new action movie that ... is less a movie than a studio marketing product." Jami Bernard in the New York Daily News says that it is actually Wahlberg's reputation, which rose after Boogie Nights (1997) , that could take a "Big Hit." And then there is this hit from Rod Dreher in the New York Post: "Add a well-placed 's' and the title of this breathtakingly bad flick becomes a succinct and spot-on review."

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7 articles from 1998