LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) — The ensemble thriller “Identity,” starring John Cusack and Ray Liotta, ended the two-week reign of the comedy “Anger Management” at the North American box office Sunday.
“Identity” earned about $17 million in its first three days of release, while “Anger Management,” starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson, slipped to No. 2 with $16 million. Both were released by Sony Corp.’s Columbia Pictures.
Overall ticket sales fell to their lowest level in more than five months as the studios bided their time before the unofficial kick-off of the lucrative summer season next weekend with preordained blockbuster “X2: X-Men United.”
According to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, the top 12 movies grossed $78.6 million, down 11 percent from last weekend but up 9 percent from the year-ago weekend. The previous low of $68.5 million was recorded last Dec. 6-8.
The top 10 contained three other new releases, which turned in modest results at best. Best of the bunch was “Confidence,” a crime thriller starring Edward Burns and Dustin Hoffman, which opened at No. 5 with $4.8 million. The movie, which cost about $15 million to produce, was released by Lions Gate Films, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.
DOUGLAS FAMILY DUD
“It Runs in the Family,” the first on-screen collaboration between Michael Douglas and his father, Kirk, flopped at No. 9 with $3 million. The comedy, which also stars Michael’s mother and son, was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc, whose exposure was less than $7 million.
It was followed at No. 10 by “The Real Cancun,” a reality film revolving around a group of drunk and horny kids on spring break, with $2.3 million. It was released by New Line Cinema, a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc.
Rounding out the top five were the family adventure “Holes” at No. 3 with $13 million and the comedy spoof “Malibu’s Most Wanted” at No. 4 with $7.7 million, both down one slot from their bows last weekend. “Holes” was released by Walt Disney Pictures, a unit of Walt Disney Co., and “Malibu’s Most Wanted” was released by AOL Time Warner’s Warner Bros. Pictures.
In Agatha Christie style, “Identity” revolves around a group of strangers who are knocked off one by one when they are stranded for the night at a remote motel. The $28 million film, directed by James Mangold, also stars Amanda Peet, Alfred Molina, Clea DuVall and Rebecca DeMornay.
Columbia’s domestic distribution president, Rory Bruer, described it as “scary with a brain,” but critics were less impressed. The Hollywood Reporter said the screenplay was “one of the most ludicrous … in recent memory.”
“ANGER” PASSES $100 MILLION
“Anger Management” passed the century mark Saturday, and its total now stands at $104.5 million after just 17 days. Bruer said it has a shot at reaching $150 million. “Holes” has earned $36.8 million and “Malibu’s Most Wanted” $24.2 million, both after 10 days.
“Confidence,” directed by James Foley, stars Hoffman in an unusual role as a flamboyant crime boss who oversees a major heist. Rachel Weisz and Andy Garcia also star. The film played strongest to audiences aged 25-54, and 78 percent of all viewers rated it as very good or excellent, said Lions Gate distribution president Tom Ortenberg. He expected it to end up with about $15 million, matching its budget.
About 75 percent of the audience for “It Runs In The Family” were over age 35, said Eric Lomis, MGM’s distribution president.
“It’s a labor of love from the Douglas family, and we felt like it deserved a shot,” he said. MGM funded the movie with Disney’s Buena Vista Int’l. unit, which is handling foreign distribution.
New Line executives were not available for comment on “The Real Cancun,” which comes from the producers of MTV’s successful “Real World” franchise. The film jockeyed with Universal Pictures’ similarly themed “The Quest” to reach cinemas first before the producers of the latter decided to hold off until later in the summer. Each cost under $8 million. Universal is a unit of Vivendi Universal SA.
Besides 20th Century Fox’s “X2” comic book sequel, the other wide new release next weekend is “The Lizzie McGuire Movie,” a feature spinoff of the hit Disney Channel series starring Hillary Duff. Fox is a unit of News Corp.’s Fox Entertainment Group Inc.
