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Cradle 2 the Grave (2003)

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7 articles from 2003

18 March 2003 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Disney's Bringing Down the House, starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah, became the second film of the year to last more than one week at the top of the box office (the other was Daredevil), taking in $22.1 million, to bring its gross to date to $61.3 million. Three new entrants saw less-than-spectacular results, with MGM's "tween" spy comedy Agent Cody Banks opening with $14.1 million, Paramount's The Hunted, with $13.5 million, and New Line's Willard with $4 million. The best performers on a per-theater basis, however, were two imports playing in limited release. Bend It Like Beckham, a smash hit last year in Britain, where it was made, grossed $161,528 in six theaters for an average of nearly $27,000 per theater. In its second week, Nowhere in Africa grossed $87,496 in 11 theaters, or an average of about $8,000 per theater. Overall, the top 12 films grossed $90.9 million, 25 percent below the comparable week a year ago.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Bringing Down the House, Disney, $22,054,934, 2 Wks. ($61,287,160); 2. Agent Cody Banks, MGM, $14,064,317, (New); 3. The Hunted, Paramount, $13,482,638, (New); 4. Tears of the Sun, Sony, $8,705,853, 2 Wks. ($30,721,673); 5. Chicago, Miramax, $7,105,479, 12 Wks. ($124,845,340); 6. Old School, DreamWorks, $6,670,577, 4 Wks. ($60,775,809); 7. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Paramount, $4,685,917, 6 Wks. ($93,724,277); 8. Willard, New Line, $4,010,593, (New); 9. Daredevil, 20th Century Fox, $3,030,687, 5 Wks. ($96,033,651); 10. Cradle 2 the Grave, Warner Bros., $2,974,489, 3 Wks. ($31,688,273).

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17 March 2003 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Three new movies could not bring down Bringing Down the House from its position as the number-one film at the box office. The movie starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah took in an estimated $22.4 million over the weekend, bring its 10-day total to $61.6 million. Like last weekend's ticket sales for the movie, this weekend's surprised analysts, particularly given the tepid reviews of the movie. Arthur Rockwell of Rockwell Capital Management told UPI: "The numbers for Bringing Down the House are pretty impressive and have a lot to do with star power. The film is clearly bringing in a lot of cross-over business." Disney distribution chief Chuck Viane, in an interview with AP, credited "voluntary word of mouth, people walking up to friends and saying, 'I saw this really funny movie you've got to see.'" Two of the new films, the "tween" spy flick Agent Cody Banks and the drama The Hunted, followed in second- and third-place respectively with $15 million for the former and $13.5 million for the latter. The third new film, a remake of the 1971 horror film Willard, premiered well down the list at No. 8 with $4 million. Continuing to demonstrate its lasting ability as it piles up awards in advance of Sunday's Oscar ceremonies, Miramax's Chicago, now in its 12th weekend, pulled in $7.7 million -- 13 percent more than it did a week ago. Its total now stands at $125.4 million. Overall, the top ten films earned around $89 million, well below the $117 million that it recorded during the comparable weekend a year ago.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Bringing Down the House, $22.4 million; 2. Agent Cody Banks, $15 million; 3. The Hunted, $13.5 million; 4. Tears of the Sun, $8.8 million; 5. Chicago, $7.7 million; 6. Old School, $6.8 million; 7. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, $4.8 million; 8. Willard, $4 million; 9. Daredevil, $3.04 million; 10. Cradle 2 the Grave, $3 million.

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11 March 2003 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

The Disney comedy Bringing Down the House raised the roof at the box office over the weekend, earning $31.1 million in ticket sales, final figures indicated Monday. The film, starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah, bested Sony's war film Tears of the Sun, starring Bruce Willis, which debuted in second place with $17.1 million. The DreamWorks comedy Old School slipped to third place with $9.2 million. The Miramax movie Chicago continued to display fine legs, as it pulled in $6.8 million in its 11th week, much of it from repeat business, according to audience surveys. The movie continued to pile up awards over the weekend, spotlighting its eminence as the film to beat at this year's Oscars. Sales for the top 12 films totaled $94.6 million, up 14 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Bringing Down the House, Disney, $31,101,026, (New); 2. Tears of the Sun, Sony, $17,057,213, (New); 3. Old School, DreamWorks, $9,190,062, 3 Wks. ($50,768,507); 4. Chicago, Miramax, $6,844,634, 11 Wks. ($114,442,185); 5. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Paramount, $6,688,678, 5 Wks. ($86,885,012); 6. Cradle 2 the Grave, Warner Bros. $6,535,475, 2 Wks. ($26,878,648); 7. Daredevil, 20th Century Fox, $5,214,469, 4 Wks. ($91,536,021); 8. The Jungle Book 2, Disney, $4,258,002, 5 Wks. ($39,521,501); 9. Shanghai Knights, Disney, $2,688,514, 5 Wks. ($54,749,445); 10. The Life of David Gale, Universal, $2,124,235, 3 Wks. ($17,112,760).

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10 March 2003 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

There were full houses for Bringing Down the House at many theaters over the weekend as the Steve Martin-Queen Latifah comedy took in an estimated $31.7 million to top a solid performance by the box office. The film, which received mixed notices, with some particularly negative comments aimed at Martin, nevertheless represented the biggest opening gross for a Martin film. His last film, Novocaine, which opening on only 105 screens in 2001, earned just $418,000 and grossed just $2 million during its entire run. Bowfinger, which opened in the summer of 1999, debuted with $18 million on 1,706 screens. Analysts credited Disney's strong marketing campaign for House's opening-weekend success. In second place, with a respectable $17.2 million, was the new Bruce Willis drama Tears of the Sun. Perhaps the most impressive performance was registered by Chicago, which, in its 11th weekend garnered an additional $6.9 million for fourth place to bring its total to $114.5 million.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Bringing Down the House, $31.7 million; 2. Tears of the Sun, $17.2 million; 3. Old School, $9.2 million; 4. Chicago, $6.9 million; 5. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, $6.8 million; 6. Cradle 2 the Grave, $6.6 million; 7. Daredevil, $5.2 million; 8. The Jungle Book 2, $4.2 million; 9. Shanghai Knights, $2.7 million; 10. The Life of David Gale, $2.1 million.

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4 March 2003 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Warner Bros.' Cradle 2 the Grave went straight 2 the top of the box office last weekend, earning $16.5 million in ticket sales. DreamWorks' Old School remained in second place with $14 million, while 20th Century Fox's Daredevil, last weekend's top film, fell to third with $11.1 million. Final figures from box-office trackers Exhibitor Relations indicated that the top 12 movies took in $86.4 million, 5.3 percent above the comparable weekend a year ago.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Cradle 2 the Grave, Warner Bros., $16,521,486, (New); 2. Old School, DreamWorks, $14,039,612, 2 Wks. ($37,379,629); 3. Daredevil, 20th Century Fox, $11,121,009, 3 Wks. ($84,186,869); 4. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Paramount, $10,252,364, 4 Wks. ($77,620,291); 5. Chicago, Miramax, $7,853,903, 10 Wks. ($104,901,344); 6. The Jungle Book 2, Disney, $6,984,002, 4 Wks. ($33,865,935); 7. Shanghai Knights, Disney, $5,027,902, 4 Wks. ($50,931,526); 8. The Life of David Gale, Universal, $4,537,395, 2 Wks. ($13,607,445); 9. Gods and Generals, Warner Bros., $2,946,476, 2 Wks. ($8,932,117); 10. The Recruit, Disney, $2,728,478, 5 Wks. ($4,809,328).

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3 March 2003 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Martial arts and hip-hop successfully combined at the box office over the weekend as the Jet Li-DMX starrer Cradle 2 the Grave opened with an estimated $17.1 million. Old School remained in second place with about $13.9 million. But Daredevil, with Ben Affleck in the guise of the comic book hero, dropped from first- to third-place with $13.9 million. Overall, the top 12 films grossed about $85.8 million, up some 4.6 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Cradle 2 The Grave, $17.1 million; 2. Old School, $13.9 million; 3. Daredevil, $11 million; 4. How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, $10.1 million; 5. Chicago, $8.1 million; 6. The Jungle Book 2, $6.8 million; 7. Shanghai Knights, $4.8 million; 8. The Life of David Gale, $4.4 million; 9. Gods and Generals, $2.8 million; 10. The Recruit, $2.6 million.

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28 February 2003 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

The Jet Li-DMX movie Cradle 2 the Grave, another hip-hop-meets-martial-arts affair, is receiving a mixed reception from critics. Gene Seymour in Newsday sums up the movie this way: "The usual bang, boom, crunch and screech, though maybe a little more stylishly executed than most." Chris Kaltenbach in the Baltimore Sun asks in the first sentence of his review: "What can be said about a movie in which Tom Arnold is responsible for most of the highlights?" Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times complains that the film seems to be "on autopilot and overdrive at the same time: It does nothing original, but does it very rapidly." Stephen Holden in the New York Times observes that despite the horror-movie title, what the movie amounts to is a "prequel to a video game." That's all right by Janice Page of the Boston Globe, "This is a ride, a video game, a soundtrack -- unapologetic and clearly labeled as such. ... Unrealistic? Totally off the hook? Isn't that Y U came?" Peter Howell in the Toronto Star writes similarly: "Cradle 2 the Grave is 2 ridiculous 2 B believed. And that's perfectly okay. While it would be nice to think that a Taiwanese cop and American gangstas could join forces to save the world from nuclear diamonds and insane criminals ... it isn't necessary for the enjoyment of this mid-winter rouser to ponder issues of plot and logic." Chris Vognar in the Dallas Morning News suggests that the movie ought to be taken for what it is -- less of a film production than a marketing project: "And if Jet Li, DMX, Tom Arnold, the arms dealers, the hip-hop, the chase scenes, the cat fight, the quad race and the fear of weapons-grade plutonium don't do it for you, then maybe you slipped through a marketing loophole."

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7 articles from 2003