Boxoffice-November.1999

HOLIDA Y
HIGHLIGHTS
NOVEMBER 5
There's a reason they call it Tinseltown
The Insider
Al Pacino and Aussie Russell
After record-setting spring and summer seasons—fueled by surprise
sleepers such as "The Blair Witch Project" ^i\^c\ "The Sixth
Crowe star in this drama as a "60
Minutes" prcxJucer and a tobacco
industry informant whose
Sense" as well as obvious boxoffice winners like "The Phantom
Menace" and the "Austin Powers" sequel— 1999's boxoffice is virtually
guaranteed to maintain its comfy 10 percent lead over last
damaging testimony in 1994
was never aired on the CBS
year's totals with the studios coming out in full force for the holidays.
newsmagazine. These two men
It was last year at this time that Universal Studios began its steady
risked everything for the
financial descent, with dismal performances by the $90 million,
American people's right to know.
three-hour "Meet Joe Black," which didn't even earn half that
Michael Mann ("Heat") directs
domestically, and the $80 million "Bal^e: Pig in the City," which
took in $63.2 million worldwide. Fox's $70 million "The Siege"
was likewise lackluster, accumulating $40.9 million domestically.
Other studios had better luck. Disney's $23 million
Waterboy" took in $186 million worldwide. "A Bug's Life" and
Paramount's challenge "The Rugrats Movie" battled it out over
the holiday weekend, but both managed to make a [profit, earning
$358 million and $140.8 million glolxilly respet lively.
Disney also had a winner with "Enemy of the State," which raked
in $245.1 million in domestic and foreign markets.
and produces; Eric Roth ("The
This Thanksgiving proves just as ambitious as last year.
Horse Whisperer") scripts; Pieter
Columbia's historical epic about Joan of Arc meets Disney's
Jan Brugge ("Bulworth") also
recent-history drama about the 1 994 tobacco litigation, while Fox
produces. (Buena Vista, 11/5)
offers the urban drama "Light It Up," New Line gets romantic with
ExplOJtips: Ground this otherwise
slick Hollywood produc-
"The Bachelor" and Universal thrills with "The Bone Collector.
The studios take it easy over weekend number two. Warner
tion in history, digging up the
Bros, has the only two major releases, the romantic comedy
original article that triggered the
"Three to Tango" and the Japanese animated phenomenon
film, ''The
"Pokemon the Movie: Mewtwo
Man Who Knew Too
Strikes Back." The next Bond
Much" by Marie Brenner, and
installment c\\m\ Tim Burton's rendering of "The Legend of Sleepy
other news pieces that surrounded
the
Hollow" gear up for the holidays a week later.
Thanksgiving weekend
$206 billion tobacco
settlement, the most expen-
itself is |)arlicularly stuffed. Disney rekvises
the sec|uel to "Toy Story," superstars Jodie Foster and (how Yun
sive case brought against an
Fat give romance a go in the kish "Anna c^nd the King" from Fox,
industry in U.S. history. Also,
Rolx>rl De Niro lakes singing lessons in MGM's "Flawless," Arnold's
see BOXOFFICE 's August cover
back in "End of Days" and Ang Lee lakes a "Ride with the Devil."
story interview with Crowe.
"Patch Adams" was the best present Universal could have
received last holiday season, pulling Ihe studio out of ils slump
and going on lo earn almost $135 million domestically. Other
good tidings came from Osc ar-sweeping "Shakespeare
The Messenger.
in Love,"
which grossed just over $100 million domestically mm\ $275 The Story of
million worldwide; Ihe re-pairing of Tom Flanks and Meg Ryan
in "You've Got Mail, which did $115 million at the boxoffice;
Joan of Arc
,mi\ the lear-jerker "Stepmom," which raked in 91 million. 'The Fifth Element's"
DreamWorks also passed Ihe $100 million mark with ils ambitious
animated "The Princ e of Egypt."
wife Milla Jovovich in
Luc Besson directs then-
As is ly|)ical, the studios take the first weekend in
this
December
epic drama about
off lo lake a breath between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This
the 15th-century 16-
year, [)isney's sluffing off Rob Schneider's "Deuce" on Ihe slow year-old girl who
weekend, and (Columbia introduces Neil Jordan's "The End of announced to the wodd
the Affair" for a limited run.
that she would defeat
The holiday season really slarls a week later, when [:)isney
the world's greatest
bows Tim Robbins' "Cradle Will Roc k," Columbia lakes tentative
steps in computer-graphic animation with "Sluarl Lillle" t\nQ\
DreamWorks releases ils sole holiday release "Cjalaxy (^uesl."
The minimajors will be l)usy in Ihis timeframe, loo. scripts;
Miramax
Patrice Ledoux ("The Fifth
does double duty with "The Cider House Rules" c\m\ "Sc ream 3," 11/5)
while New Line exc iledly presents Paul Thomas Anderson's follow-up
lo "Boogie Nights," "Magnolia."
ject. Back in
Exploitips:
December 17 is relatively c|uiel— Disney introduces Robin
Williams as "Bicentennial Man" and Warner Bros, bows "The
Green Mile," Frank Darabonl's eagerly aniicipaled encore lo
falling out,
"The Shawshank Redemption." Christmas weekend, though, is
packed with (Columbia's "Girl, Inlerrufjied" :\\m\ "Flanging Up,"
Miramax's "Daddy and Them" c\\m\ "Reindeer Games,"
Paramount's "Angela's Ashes" i[n(.\ "The Talenled Mr. Ripley,"
Universal's "Man on the Moon" and "Snow Falling on Cedars"
.ind W.irner Bros.' "Any (]iveti Sunday." — Annlco Ellinfison
sion starring Mira Sorvino.
Mansfield Park
Frances O'Connor ("Love
and Other Catastrophes")
stars in this film version of
Jane Austen's novel as Fanny
Price, a young woman from a
poor family who was sent to
live with wealthy relatives at
a young age. Jonny Lee Miller
("Trainspotting"), Alessandro
Nivola ("Face/Off") and
Embeth Davidtz ("Schindler's
List") co-star. Patricia Rozema
scripts and directs; Sarah
Curtis ("Mrs. Brown") produces.
(Miramax, 11/5
NY/LA, 11/12 exp, 11/19 exp)
Exploitips: "Mansfield
Park" is one of the first three
films on the slate of HAL
Films, a London-based production
company backed
by a revolving $50 million
production fund from
Miramax. The Arts Council
of England also awarded £1
million (US$1.62 million) to
the $10.5 million BBC Films
co-production.
army and liberate her
country. John Malkovich ("Being John Malkovich") and Faye
Dunaway ("The Thomas Crown Affair") co-star. Andrew Birkin
Element") produces. (Columbia,
This film has a history as long and sordid as its sub-
1996, Besson joined a production of "Joan of Arc,"
written and directed by Kathryn Bigelow ("Strange Days"),
promising to secure financing for the project. The two had a
however, when Bigelow refused to cast jovovich in
the title role, and Besson pulled out of the project, taking his
money with him. Besson and Bigelow aren't the only filmmakers
fighting to bring the virgin warrior's story to the screen, however
A CBS telefilm starring Leelee Sobieski aired back in May,
and Ron Maxwell ("Gettysburg") is
directing a silver-screen ver-
18 BOXOFFICE