Boxoffice-April.2001

MAY
TRAILERS
The Summer Season Starts Heating Up
The summer season seems to start earlier each year, culminating
last year with the May 5 bow of DreamWorks
"Gladiator," which vaulted Russell Crowe to super stardom
and became one of the biggest hits not only of the summer
but of the year, grossing $186.7 million domestically and
$470.7 million worldwide. Three weeks later, Paramount's
"Mission: Impossible 2" came out, going on to earn $215.4
million domestically and $545.4 million worldwide. These
two pictures remained the top grossers of 2000 until the very
end of the year, ultimately toppling to "Dr. Seuss' How the
Grinch Stole Christmas."
crazy/beautiful
Kirsten Dunst ("Get Over It")
stars in this teen romance as the
troubled daughter of a wealthy
congressman who defies her
family by flirting with a Latino
boy who commutes two hours by
bus every day to attend her prestigious
school. Soon, their relationship
escalates into first love,
and her self-destructive behavior
threatens the ambitious, straight-
A student. Newcomer Jay
Hernandez co-stars, as do Taryn
Manning, Rolando Molina,
Lucinda Jenney and Bruce
Davison ("X-Men"). John
Stock well (TV's "Cheaters")
directs as well as scripts with Phil
Hay, Matt Manfredi and Lizzy
Weiss; Mary Jane Ufland ("Not
Without My Daughter"), Harry
Ufland ("Snow Falling on
Cedars") and Rachel Pfeffer ("A
Civil Action") produce. (Buena
Vista, 5/4)
the lessons he learns in the joint
to reinvent himself as a tough
guy at his new school across
town. That is, until his old
nemesis uncovers his secret
identity. Eliza Dushku ("Soul
Survivors"), Zooey Deschanel
("Almost Famous"), Lyle Lovett
("Cookie's Fortunte") and Eddie
Griffin ("Double Take") co-star.
Screenwriter Ed Decter
("There's Something About
Mary") directs his debut from a
script by David Kendall; Todd
Garner (an executive producer
on "Tomcats"), Gordon Gray
and Mark Ciardi produce.
(Columbia, 5/4)
Exploitips: Geared toward
the same demo as this week's
"crazy/beautiful" and "Texas
Rangers," "The New Guy" has
a slight advantage with the teen
set in that it's a comedy, a genre
that tends to play better than
straight romances or epic
Westerns. MediaTrip.com,
which contains "New Guy"
summary information, sponsored
a casting contest for
speaking roles in the film and
profiles the winners as well as
the cheerleading squads featured
in it.
Disney's "Dinosaur" was also in the year's top ten, collecting
$137.7 million stateside and $347.8 million overseas.
Other decent earners were DreamWorks' gross-out comedy
"Road Trip" ($68.5 million) and Buena Vista's "Shanghai
Noon" ($56.9 million). The month was also known for some
high-profile stinkers, particularly the sci-fi epic "Battlefield
Earth," which had a budget of $73 million but earned just
$27.1 million worldwide.
This May, the summer season bows with the release of
"The Mummy Returns," Universale sequel to the 1999 hit
that grossed over $150 million despite being in the same
timeframe as "The Phantom Menace." Also on the fourth,
Buena Vista is "crazy/beautiful," Columbia introduces "The
New Guy," Fox performs at the "Moulin Rouge," Miramax
calls in the "Texas Rangers," and Warner Bros, plans a
"Heist." A week later, Columbia trumpets the arrival of a
"Swan."
On the 18th, DreamWorks reads the fairy tale "Shrek,"
New Line suspects "Cheaters" and Warner Bros, puts out a
warrant for "American Outlaws." And over the fourth weekend
in May, Buena Vista remembers the bombing of "Pearl
Harbor" while Warner Bros, walks its "Cats and Dogs." Also
sometime this month, DreamWorks attempts to break "The
Curse of the Jade Scorpion."
In addition, BOXOFFICE talks to Oded Fehr, who returns
along with "The Mummy," and Doug Yellin, a reluctant fan of
"*N Sync." Annlee Ellingson
Exploitips: When this project
was announced, "crazy/beautiful,"
at the time known as "At
17," was described as a cross
between "Love Story" and
"Rebel Without a Cause."
The New Guy
In
this teen comedy, DJ Quails
("Road Trip") stars as a social outcast
who gets himself expelled
and then thrown in jail but uses
Moulin Rouge
Ewan McGregor ("Star Wars:
Episode I—The Phantom
Menace") and Nicole Kidman
("Eyes Wide Shut") star in this
"reinvention of the musical
form" as an innocent poet who
is swept up in the Bohemian
underworld of 1899 Paris and
the popular courtesan with
Celebrate the pic's cross-cultural
themes by hosting a teen dance, whom he falls in love. John
Leguizamo ("Summer of Sam")
high schools from both
inviting
co-stars. Baz Luhrmann
sides of the tracks.
("Romeo + Juliet") writes,
directs and produces; his writing
partner Craig Pearce also
scripts; and his producing partner
Martin Brown also produces
with Fox executive Fred
Baron. (Fox, 5/4)
18 BOXOH K I