While SNAKES ON A PLANE faded fast, Buena Vistas real-life football drama, INVINCIBLE, debuted in the top spot at the box office with $17M for the weekend ended Aug. 27, 2006. Holding second place was Sonys TAKKADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY, which hauled in another $8.1M for a cume of $127.8M. Shooting up to third place was Fox Searchlights LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE with $7.3M and $22.8M. The fourth spot belonged to newcomer BEERFEST from Warner Bros., with $7M. Paramounts WORLD TRADE CENTER (with vfx from Double Negative and Animal Logic) followed in fifth with $6.4M and a cume of $55.6M. Universals ACCEPTED settled for sixth with $6.3M and $20.9M. New Lines SNAKES ON A PLANE (with vfx by CafeFX and Hydraulx) fell to seventh with $6.167M and a two-week cume of $26.3M. Buena Vistas STEP UP was right behind in eighth with $6.163 and $50.3M. Universals IDLEWILD (with vfx by Frantic Films, Eden FX and CIS Hollywood) bowed in ninth with $5.7M. The 3D-animated BARNYARD, from Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies and O Ent., finished 10th with $5.6M and a cume of $54.9M.
Meanwhile Buena Vistas PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MANS CHEST (with impressive vfx from ILM) climbed to sixth on the all-time domestic list with $407.5M and fourth internationally with $929M. Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
