Chicken Debut History

files/pictures/picture-35.jpgDespite finishing in second place, CHICKEN RUN’s U.S. opening gross was the highest animated debut in DreamWorks’ history. With Jim Carrey’s ME, MYSELF & IRENE taking the top spot in its premiere, CHICKEN RUN’s US$17.51 million gross was more chicken feed than ANTZ $17.2 million debut stock piled. The future box office glory isn’t bleak for the British beaks. With next weekend’s July 4th holiday and wonderful word of mouth, pun-squawking poultry may slip in the ranks behind big holiday new comers, but might out gross its debut with strong family attendance. Whether feathers will fly to great heights, one must wait and see. Last week’s box office leader SHAFT slipped to third, adding $12.71 million to its $42.35 million cume. Buena Vista’s GONE IN 60 SECONDS, with primary visual effects by Asylum Visual Effects and Disney’s Secret Lab, parked this weekend in fourth place. The car-theft cavalcade grossed $9.45 million, bringing its total take to $68.86 million. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2, with primary visual effects by Pacific Data Images, Double Negative Ltd. and CFC, surfaced in the sixth slot. The festival of face changing made approximately $7.59 million, raising its cume to $188.9 million, which has now eclipsed the $181 million U.S cume of the original MISSION. DreamWorks GLADIATOR garnered another $3.85 million to secure the seventh spot. The world box office warrior has now grossed $165.4 million in the States and over $300 million globally. Fox’s TITAN A.E. sunk to 8th, with a gross of $3.74 million. The third Fox Animation feature has made a total of $16.89 million thus far. Disney’s DINOSAUR has drifted down to 9th place. The CGI spectacle landed another $3.26 million, advancing its $126.8 million. FANTASIA/200 slipped down to #13, grossing another $1.48 million. Rumored to be moving back to IMAX in August, the animation opera has grossed $55.59 million thus far. New Line’s Frequency fell to #15, adding $519,947 to its cume of $42.66 million. Universal’s U-571 surfaced in 16th place, grossing another $503,190 and raising its cume to $74.96 million. THE FLINTSTONES VIVA ROCK VEGAS, with primary visual effects by Cinesite, found itself landing at #19, with a gross of $316,235, which brought its total take to $33.31 million. Other animated and special effects laden films finishing in the top fifty were: MISSION TO MARS at #26, with a gross of $154,918 and a cume of $60.58 million; T-REX: BACK TO THE CRETACEOUS at #29, with a gross of $133,840 and a cume of $30.88 million; THE ROAD TO EL DORADO at #37, with a gross of $103,069 and a cume of $50.8 million; THE TIGGER MOVIE at #42, with a gross of $74,603 and a cume of $45.31 million; and ALIEN ADVENTURE at #43, with a gross of $70,428 and a cume of $1.4 million. Box office reports obtained in THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.