Holiday Perfect For Storm

files/pictures/picture-35.jpgSwamping the July 4th holiday favorite, THE PATRIOT, Warner Bros. THE PERFECT STORM, with primary visual effects by ILM, has docked atop the U.S. box office charts. The seafaring spectacle landed an estimated US$64 million within the five-day holiday run. For the Friday-Sunday time frame, the wet wonder grossed a reported $41.5 million. The George Clooney-vehicle has the second highest debut of the year behind MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2’s four-day Memorial Day holiday opening of $70.8 million. Slipping only a spot, CHICKEN RUN raced into third place with a gross of $21 million over the five-days and $13.2 million from Friday-Sunday. So far, the DreamWorks darling has grossed $49.4 million. The fine fowl frolic has exceeded studio expectations and is on the path to laying a total cume around $91-110 million. Debuting in fifth, THE ADVENTURES OF ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE, with primary visual effects by ILM and animation by Wild Brain, grossed a disappointing $11 million over five days and only $6.9 million from Friday to Sunday. Universal has been hit hard in the last few years with TV-based features that have tanked at the box office. Currently, the studio is feeling the demise of FLINTSTONES VIVA ROCK VEGAS and was hurt badly with the awful showing of ROCKY AND FRIENDS-based feature film version DUDLEY DO-RIGHT. Finishing in sixth place, SHAFT garnered an estimated $6.5 million from Friday to Sunday, which raised its cume to $56.5 million. Buena Vista’s GONE IN 60 SECONDS, with primary visual effects by Asylum Visual Effects and Disney’s Secret Lab, parked itself in seventh place over the holiday weekend with a gross of $5.2 million, bringing its cume come Tuesday to $81.5 million. Descending into the ninth slot, M:I 2, with primary visual effects by Pacific Data Images, Double Negative Ltd. and CFC, grossed an estimated $4.8 million. The face-changing free-for-all has landed $199.9 million to date and will become the first film of 2000 to reach the $200 million mark in the U.S. Rounding out the top ten, DreamWorks GLADIATOR, with primary visual effects by Mill Film Ltd. and Malta, grossed approximately $2.4 million. The R-rated revenge romp has made $171 million since its premiere in early May. Box office reports obtained in THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.