Warner Bros. SUPERMAN RETURNS opened softer than expected but still posted solid Independence numbers in its five-day theatrical bow for the period ended July 2, 2006. Bolstered by vfx from Sony Pictures Imageworks, Rhythm & Hues, Framestore CFC, Rising Sun Pictures, The Orphanage, Frantic Films, among others, the Bryan Singer reboot scored an estimated $84.7M on around 8,200 screens at 4,065 theaters. For the weekend, it earned around $52.6M, which puts it below last years WAR OF THE WORLDS Independence Day start ($64.9M) but ahead of BATMAN BEGINS ($48.7M). Meanwhile, SUPERMAN RETURNS set an opening IMAX record, collecting about $5M from 76 IMAX theaters, most of which featured 20 minutes in 3-D. This bests BATMAN BEGINS previous IMAX opening of $3.1M.
Debuting in second in its bid at female counter programming was Foxs THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, starring Meryl Streep, which grabbed an estimated $27M. Sony/Revolutions CLICK (with vfx from Sony Imageworks) slipped to third with an estimated $19.8M for a two-week cume of $78.4M. Disney/Pixars CARS followed in fourth place with an estimated $14.5M. The 3D-animated feature now has tallied $182.5M in four weeks. Paramounts NACHO LIBRE settled for fifth with an estimated $6.6M and a cume of $65.3M. Holding sixth was Warner Bros. THE LAKE HOUSE, with an estimated $4.6M and a cume of $38.8M. Universals THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT staked the seventh spot with an estimated $4.4M and $51.7M, bolstered by vfx from Hammerhead, Rhythm & Hues, CIS Hollywood, CafeFX, Pacific Title, Illusion Arts, Industrial Light & Magic, Perpetual Motion Picture, Digital Backlot and Hatch FX. WAIST DEEP came in eighth for Rogue Pictures with $3.4M and $15.2M. Universals THE BREAK-UP wound up ninth with an estimated $2.9M and a cume of $110.2M. Sonys THE DA VINCI CODE held the 10th spot with an estimated $2.3M. With vfx from Double Negative, Rainmaker Animation & Visual Effects, MPC, The Senate, Brainstorm Digital, Artem and Altered States, the blockbuster has grabbed a cume of $209.8M Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
