Another R-rated comedy found its way to the top of the box office chart in its debut Universals THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN grossed $21.4M for the weekend ended Aug. 21, 2005. DreamWorks RED EYE, the Wes Craven airplane thriller (with vfx by Digital Dream), bowed in second with $16.1M.
Paramounts FOUR BROTHERS, last weeks winner (with vfx support from Mr. X and Creature Effects), dropped to third place with $12.4M and a two-week cume of $43.1M. New Lines WEDDING CRASHERS, the other R-rated comedy hit, stayed in the fourth slot with $8M as it cleared $177.6M. Universals THE SKELETON KEY (with vfx from Rhythm + Hues) slipped to fifth with $7.7M and $30.4M. Moving up a notch to number six with $6.4M was Warner Independent Pictures MARCH OF THE PENGUINS, the high-flying doc that has reached $48.4M. Slipping to seventh was Warner Bros. THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, which collected $5.9M and three-week cume of $69M. Debuting in the eighth spot with $5.9M was Buena Vistas VALIANT, the 3D-animated U.K. import from newcomer Vanguard Animation. Warner Bros. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (with delightful vfx from MPC, Framestore CFC, Cinesite and Digital Domain) settled for ninth place with $4.4M and a sweet total of $192.6M. Coming in 10th was Buena Vistas SKY HIGH (with vfx from Asylum VFX, Furious FX and Lola Visual Effects), which picked up $4M on its way to a cume of $50.8M.
Hayao Miyazakis HOWLS MOVING CASTLE collected another $19,386 for a cume of $4.6M for Buena Vista (with Pixars Pete Docter and Disneys Rick Dempsey overseeing the American version). It now ranks seventh on the all-time list of anime titles. Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
