TYLER PERRYS MADEAS FAMILY REUNION from Lions Gate led the box office with an opening bow of $30M for the weekend ending Feb. 26, 2006. Slipping to second place with $15.8M was Buena Vistas sled dog race movie, EIGHT BELOW (with vfx by Stan Winston Studio, Stan Winston Digital, Illusion Arts, CIS Hollywood & ILM) In two weeks, EIGHT BELOW has earned $45.2M. Holding at third place with $11M was Sonys remake of THE PINK PANTHER (2D-animated titles by Kurtz & Friends and vfx by Pixel Magic), which has a cume of $60.8M. Following in fourth was Foxs DATE MOVIE (with vfx by Furious FX and Pacific Title), which teased another $9.1M for a tally of $33.8M. Fifth place went to Universal/Imagines 2D-animated CURIOUS GEORGE, which took in another $7.2M for a cume of $43.3M. Staying in sixth with $6.6M and a cume of $37.2M was Warner Bros. FIREWALL (with vfx by The Senate VFX and Rainmaker). New Lines FINAL DESTINATION 3 (with vfx by Meteor Studios, Digital Dimension and SOHO VFX) settled for seventh with $5.4M and a cume of $44.9M. Eighth place went the 3D-animated DOOGAL, which took in $3.6M for the Weinstein Co. New Lines RUNNING SCARED debuted in ninth with $3.3M. Sony/Revolutions FREEDOMLAND dropped to 10th with $2.8M for a two-week cume of $10.7M. Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
