Boxoffice-March.2000

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It ( man Alexander's first-look deal with the specialty distributor. Find a copy of Mitchell's article to distribute among your patrons and decorate your lobby with images of 1940s New York, the city being an integral character in the film. Keepiling the Faith This romantic comedy marks the directorial debut of "Fight Club's" Edward Norton. He and Ben Stiller ("Mystery Men") star as a Catholic priest and an Orthodox rabbi, respectively, who both tall in love with the same woman, whom they knew as children and who recently re-entered their lives. )enna Elfman ("EDtv") co-stars. Stuart Blumberg scripts; Howard Koch Jr. ("Frequency"), Norton and Blumberg produce. (Buena Vista, 4/1 4) Exploitips: This $30 million project was the first project greenlighted by Spyglass Entertainment, the production and tinam inn entity that co-produced Disney's "The Sixth Sense" and "Instinct." College buddies Norton and Blumberg originally set up the picture with Koch at Columbia but bought it back when it went into turnaround. 28 Days Sandra Bullock ("Gun Shy") stars in this dramedy as an urban journalist who's sentenced to a 28-day rehabilitation program after stealing and crashing a limousine at her sister's wedding. Marianne Jean- Baptiste ("Secrets & Lies"), Viggo Mortensen ("A Perfect Murder"), Diane Ladd ("Daddy and Them") and Elizabeth Perkins ("Moonlight and Valentino") co-star. Betty Thomas ("Dr. Dolittle") directs a script by Susannah Grant ("Erin Brockovich"); Jenno Topping ("Can't Hardly Wait") produces. (Columbia, 4/14) Exploitips: Thomas and Topping picked up this pic for their Tall Trees Prods, banner under their production deal with Columbia after studio president Amy Pascal personally developed the project with Grant. Like the similarly set "Girl, Interrupted, " released by Columbia late last year, "28 Days" will appeal to a distaffpopulation with its girl-powered cast and crew. Bless the Child In her first role since her Oscar-winning turn in "LA. Confidential," Kim Basinger stars in this thriller as a psychiatric nurse who must save her niece from Satanists in a millennial battle between good and evil. Jimmy Smits ("My Family"), Rufus Sewell ("The Very Thought of You") and Angela Bettis ("Girl, Interrupted") co-star. Christina Ricci ("Sleepy Hollow") also has a small role. Chuck Russell ("The Mask") directs; "Three Wishes" storywriters Clifford and Ellen Green, Don Roos ("The Opposite of Sex") and Russell script based on the book by Cathy Cash Spellmann; Mace Neufeld ("The General's Daughter") produces. (Paramount, 4/14) Exploitips: In the vein of "The Sixth Sense, "Stir of Echoes," "Stigmata" and "End of Bless the Child" is pan of a recent string of supernatural thrillers— some successful, some not so much—fueled by millennial hype. The film sets itself apart by appealing to women, an aspect that also puts it into direct competition with Columbia's "28 Days" this weekend. Significant changes were made to the book's original premise to accommodate the casting of Basinger (reportedly the character originallv was a inceived as the child's grandmother), but consider co-marketing with a local bookstore nonetheless. See Actor's Studio, page 21. Rules of Engagement Tommy Lee Jones ("Double Jeopardy") and Samuel L. Jackson ("Deep Blue Sea") star in this military courtroom drama as Vietnam vets reunited when the latter is accused of violating the accepted rules of engagement by inciting an incident that leaves many demonstrators dead while trying to retake a United States embassy. Lee plays a lawyer whose career as a military officer was cut short in Vietnam and who owes his life to Jackson's character. Kim Delaney ("Mission to Mars"), Ben Kingsley ("What Planet Are You From?"), Blair Underwood ("Deep Impact") and Anne Archer ("Clear and Present Danger") co-star. William Friedkin ("Jade") directs; Stephen Gaghan scripts based on a story by former Navy secretary James Webb; Richard Zanuck ("True Crime") and Scott Rudin ("Wonder Boys") produce. (Paramount, 4/14) Exploitips: While the filmmakers didn't even bother to ask for advice from the U.S. Marines on this pic due to its uncomplimentary nature, they did secure cooperation from the king of Morocco, where they were shooting, and guaranteed accuracy by optioning Webb's script and employing "Saving Private Ryan's" Dale Dye to coordinate battle scenes. Paramount also released the similarly themed "The General's Daughter " went on to gross over $100 million. w hii h Ready to Rumble In this comedy set in the world of World Championship Wrestling (WCW), David Arquette ("Scream 3") stars as a wrestlingloving loser who, devastated when the champ loses his belt in a humiliating bout and is ousted from the organization, journeys to WCW headquarters in Atlanta to resurrect his hero. Scott Caan ("Boiler Room"), Oliver Piatt ("Gun Shy"), Rose McGowan ("Jawbreaker"), Martin Landau ("EDtv") and several WCW wrestlers co-star. Brian Robbins ("Varsity Blues") directs a script by Steven Brill ("The Mighty Ducks" franchise); "Three to Tango's" Robert Newmyer and Jeffrey Silver produce. (Warner Bros., 4/14) Exploitips: The potential audience tor this pic, believe it or not, is tremendous. The WCW, rest assured, will be advertising heavily on itswt < -kly shows Monday Night Nitro and Thunder. Coordinate with local merchants to give away WCW action figures for the winners of a wrestling trivia contest. (They might be glad to get rid of them— the tovs tend to gather dust on the shelves.) If the WCW is visiting your community soon, try to secure tickets as giveaways as well. If you're really resourceful, invite a WCW wrestler to make an appearance opening weekend, autographing movie posters for fans. Create a link on your web site to www.wcw.com. Set up a sumo wrestling ring in your lobby to let your patrons get in on the action. Eva Jeanne Moreau stars in this re-release of the 1 962 classic as a greedy seductress who ensnares and then humiliates a writer, causing his wife's death. Stanley Baker and Virna Lisi co-star. Joseph Losey directs; Hugo Butler and Evan Jones script based on the novel by James Hadley Chase; Raymond Hakim and Robert Hakim produce. (Kino, 4/14) Exploitips: Locate original posters from 1962 to hang in your lobby for this release. Losey and Moreau also collaborated on 1 976's "Mr. Klein" and 1982's "The Trout." Doublebill with one of these or indicate at which local video stores your patrons can find them. The Specialist Consisting of footage from the 1 961 trial of Adolf Eichmann in Israel, this documentary paints a portrait of the man known as "the specialist" during the Holocaust, responsible for the deportation and eventual massacre of Jews in European death camps. Eyal Sivan writes, directs and produces; Rony Brauman scripts; Armelle Laboire produces. (Kino, 4/1 2) Exploitips: "The Specialist" owes its structure somewhat to Hannah Arendt's study of Eichmann called, "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of E\ il, which argued that the fact that Eichmann seemed so normal during the trial made his crimes all the more horrifying. Invite a local college history department to set up a panel discussion about the paper and the film. The Big Kahuna "American Beauty's" Kevin Spacey produces and stars in this dramedy about three industrial lubricant salesmen stuck in a Midwestern hotel room together on the eve of making the biggest sale of their lives. Danny DeVito ("Man on the Moon") and Peter Facinelli ("Supernova") co-star. John Swanbeck makes his directorial debut; Roger Rueff adapts his own screenplay; "The Whole Nine Yards" executive producers Elie Samaha and Andrew Stevens produce. (Lions Gate, 4/14 NY/LA) Exploitips: A labor of love for Spacey, "The Big kahuna, " which was shot for under $2 million ova 16 evenings while he rehearsed tor 'The < i «* ih during the day, is the first picture to come out of his Trigger Street Prods. BOX- OFFICE gave it 2.5 stars at Toronto, where Lions ( iate rsecutives first saw and fell in love with it. In i •!// / ifi ember 1999 issue, the review reads, "The Big Kahuna' can't help but feel like a filmed pla\... It's also traversing the same territory mined by Death of a Salesman' and 'Glengarry Glen Ross u ith a nod towards Waiting for Godot ' for goodmeasure. In that regard. The Big Kahuna' is too familiar by half, with the arguments among the men rather pedestrian and uninspiring. But there's something fresh here, too. 'The Big Kahuna' is about respect land! assumptions and lis! unexpectedly touching." See this month's cover story for more on Spacey. 18 BOXOMKI
lott i'l.uk Ih Si.,. I ' 1 . • \ : 1 1 ;hts w lion I Ihinl- i . i • ' . 1 1 > i I ! i ' i ( l i • '. : i i i. i :: • : i '; :h." iliv.' .. : .. . ing . 1 i m 1 . . •;-'. : ' ' ... : . • "jlhi : ,:. . . -., . . tai 1 .. • ' m-nil« i, , . 1 ii;, I.ithi .",!.' . ; . • nil i ' " •.in : lipl '; lllm \l 1(1 til! II I '.'.il ,'.:: hi-(! ' till i '. . ' (hi 'ii. i-. ; ii ' n. o r.ii ' . i..i - ions kind n i .1: • n tor lin 1 ,ni tin if i'-ic; .. In ion ii : lor - Hi 1 liir ho\ o (i;. hen. ! .-. hc;i vii 11I11 hUh! •i .;! tii nn .| . ':• 1 1. . .ru>!nl>.i , uhol< . . noi ._ 01 shoi '. Von 1 . J n; [In \, < (A llOiil ili-l t.'ililcr Where the Money Is Paul Newman ("Message in a Bottle") stars in this caper as a convicted bank robber who scams his way out of prison by faking a stroke and getting transferred to a nursing home. His plans for escape are foiled when his nurse discovers his ruse, but she promises to keep her mouth shut if he includes her in his last big heist. Linda ("What Planet Are You Fi Fiorentino and Dermot Mulroney ("Goodbye Lover") co-star. Marek Kanievska ("Less Than Zero") directs script by E. Max Frye a ("Palmetto"), Topper Lilien and Carroll Cartwright; "Clay Pigeons'" Ridley Scott and Chris Zarpas, Charles Weinstock ("Joe Gould's Secret") and Christopher Dorr produce. (USA, 4/21) Exploitips: This pic should appeal to Newman's fans, an older demo otherwise not tapped this weekend. Play your own game of "Where the Money Is," attaching faux dollar hills that can be redeemed at the concession stand to the bottoms of auditorium seats. Center Stage Peter Gallagher ("House on Haunted Hill") stars in this drama set in the competitive world of professional ballet about a tight-knit group of teens who sacrifice having normal lives to train as dancers. Nicholas Hynter ("The Object of My Affection") directs a script by Carol Heikkinen ("Empire Records"); Laurence Mark ("Hanging Up") produces. (Columbia, 4/21) Exploitips: Collaborate with a local dance troupe to sponsor (and thus advertise at) their recitals and see if they'll perform at your theatre in conjunction with opening weekend. Also, hold a raffle to give away free ballet lessons to patrons. Love and Basketball Omar Epps ("The Wood") and Alfre Woodard ("Mumford") star in this hoopster romance about college-aged basketball players who try not to let their new-found romances interfere with their professional futures. Gina Prince-Blythewood writes and directs; "The Best Man's" Spike Lee and Sam Kitt produce. (New Line, 4/21) Exploitips: Urban audiences will best respond to this pic's cast and crew. Sponsor local basketball games at the high school, college or Y— the exposure will U-571 Matthew McConaughey ("EDtv") stars in this World War II movie as a lieutenant on a United States Navy submarine involved in a plot to swipe a coding device from a Nazi U- Boat in the Atlantic at the height of the war. Bill Paxton ("Mighty Joe Young"), Harvey Keitel ("Holy Smoke") and Jon Bon Jovi ("No Looking Back") co-star. Jonathan Mostow ("Breakdown") directs a script he wrote with Sam Montgomery ("Breakdown") and former U.S. Navy sonarman David Ayer; "Breakdown's" Dino and Martha DeLaurentiis produce. (Universal, 4/21) Exploitips: Easily perceived as riding the coattails of the boxoffice and critical hit "Saving Private Ryan," "U-571 " was actually already in production before "Ryan" was released in July 1 998, when Michael Douglas, who had been attached to project, dropped out to pursue "Wonder Boys." Mostow then rewrote the script for a late-20-something actor, namely McConaughey. Look for other World War ll-set pics to capitalize on "Ryan's" success, reach your core audience. Give away tickets for local hoops franchises on opening weekend. Set up Nerf hoops in your lobby for low-key games of one-on-one. including "Proteus," a project in the pipeline at Miramax to be directed by "Pi's" Darren Aronofsky that has stalled production in "U- 57 1 's" wake. A Pornographic Affair Nathalie Baye and Sergei Lopez co-headline this French-language mock documentary about a couple that seeks each other out for purely sexual liaisons, only to find their relationship developing into much more. Frederic Fonteyne directs a script by Philippe Blasband; Patrick Quinet produces. (Fine Line, 4/21 NY/LA) Exploitips: Fine Line picked up "A Pornographic Affair," along with next month's "Five Senses" and "But I'm a Cheerleader," at last year's Toronto Film March, 2000 19
Page 1 and 2: IE BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF THE GLOBAL
Page 3 and 4: It's Showtime in Lombard, Illinois
Page 5 and 6: SPECIAL SERIES—2001-2010: CINEMA
Page 7 and 8: 1 1 -if . i vr
Page 9 and 10: m^m Horror Show lathe Heater £ (No
Page 11 and 12: When I was your age we didn't hgveP
Page 14 and 15: , 116 ir: BOXOFFICE Independent Cha
Page 16 and 17: '/) APRIL TRAILERS Spring fever ind
Page 20 and 21: 1 Festival, marking the New Line sp
Page 22 and 23: Cover A LITTLE ZLICE OF KEVIN With
Page 24 and 25: SPECIAL SERIES: 2001-2010 NEW CINEM
Page 26 and 27: s^>^# sition. "I don't know anyone
Page 28 and 29: Spare parts for 35 & 35/70 mm Westa
Page 30 and 31: j SPECIAL REPORT: Barometer 2000 DA
Page 32 and 33: and Carlo Bernaschi forming a new m
Page 34 and 35: SPECIAL REPORT: Barometer Star Poll
Page 36 and 37: SPECIAL REPORT: Barometer 2000 1999
Page 38 and 39: In Dreams RcDWi n 1 I J Z 3
Page 40 and 41: k i m-wv 1999 was the year that exh
Page 42 and 43: EXHIBITION BRIEFINGS LEAD STORY: MA
Page 44 and 45: TECH TALK SUPPLY SIDE by Ann lee El
Page 46 and 47: I executive I and STUDIO NEWS by An
Page 48 and 49: INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS EUROVIEWS
Page 50 and 51: l( I ' BOXOFHCE REVIEWS March 2000
Page 52 and 53: PITCH BLACK ***l/2 Starring Vin Die
Page 54 and 55: •• KESTREL'S EYE Directed and p
Page 56 and 57: ADVERTISERS INDEX ADVERTISER PHONE/
Page 58 and 59: Close Focus jMPANY: Cinemark Intl.,

Boxoffice-March.2000

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