Sony/Revolutions THE FORGOTTEN thriller grabbed the box office crown for the weekend ended Sept. 26, 2004, taking in $21M in its debut. Paramounts groundbreaking CGI adventure, SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, plunged 57% to second place in its second week, managing only $6.6M for a dismal cume of $25.5M, despite the fine work of such vfx companies as ILM, Luma Pictures, Rising Sun Pictures, Hybride Technologies, Ring of Fire, SW Digital, Pixel Liberation Front, Pacific Title Digital, Café FX, Engine Room, The Orphanage, R!OT and Digital Backlot.
Buena Vistas MR. 3000 is not a hit either, collecting a third place finish of $5M and a two-week total of only $15.4M. Screen Gems RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALPSE (with vfx by C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures, Mr. X Inc., Animated Extras International Ltd., Fantasy II Film Effects and Soho VFX) dropped to fourth place with $4.035M and $43.4M. Foxs FIRST DAUGHTER romantic comedy bowed at number five with $4M. New Lines CELLULAR came in sixth with $3.6M and $25. Focus SHAUN OF THE DEAD spoof (with vfx by Double Negative) debuted at number seven with $3.3M. Universals WIMBLETON settled for eighth place with $3.3M and $12.1M. Paramounts WITHOUT A PADDLE took the ninth spot with $2.3M and $53.4M. And Miramaxs HERO (with vfx by Animal Logic, The Orphanage and Tweak Films) settled for 10th place with $2.2M and a total of $49.2M.
Meanwhile, after such a promising start, Go Fishs anime import, GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE, dropped 57% in its second week, taking in $135,514 in 55 theaters for a two-week cume of $549,452. Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
