HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE had the best opening yet for the popular franchise, raking in $102.3M for the weekend ended Nov. 20, 2005. In fact, the Warner Bros. wizard fantasy is second only to REVENGE OF THE SITHS $108.4M for openers this year. The first POTTER directed by Mike Newell and the first to don a PG-13 rating, THE GOBLET OF FIRE also boasts more impressive vfx from Double Negative, Framestore CFC, MPC, ILM, Cinesite, Animal Logic, The Orphanage, BUF and Rising Sun. Meanwhile, the LOS ANGELES TIMES reports that the IMAX version posted a record $2.8M, including a single-day record of $1.06M on Friday.
Foxs well-received Johnny Cash biopic, WALK THE LINE, debuted in second place with $22.3M. Meanwhile, CHICKEN LITTLE, Disneys first full 3D-animated feature, fell to third with $14.7M. The Buena Vista release now has a three-week cume of $99M. The Weinstein Co.s DERAILED slipped to fourth with $6.5M and now has $21.8M to its credit. Coming in fifth with $5.1M was Sonys ZATHURA (with vfx from Imageworks, Digital Dimension, Stan Winston Studio and Zoic Studios), which now totals $20.3M. Universals JARHEAD (with vfx from ILM) followed in the sixth spot with $4.7M and a cume of $54.2M. Paramounts GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN settled for seventh with $4.4M and $24.5M.Lions Gates SAW II (with vfx from C.O.R.E.) occupied the eighth spot with $3.9M and $79.9M. Sonys THE LEGEND OF ZORRO (with vfx from Peerless Camera Co. and Digiscope) came in ninth with $2.3M and a cume of $42.8M. Focus Features PRIDE & PREJUDICE held the 10th spot with $2.1M for a total of $6M. Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
