Third Mummy Rises, Can't Scare Dark Knight Faithful
By amoody
Created 08/04/2008 - 00:00
Warner Bros.' THE DARK KNIGHT won the box office for the third week running, earning $42.66 million (actuals) for the week ending August 3 and $393.75M in total gross. The record-breaking Batman flick's vfx were by Double Negative, BUF, Gentle Giant Studios and New Deal Studios.
Brendan Fraser's third foray into haunted mummies, THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR (Universal, vfx by Digital Domain, Gentle Giant Studios, Giant Studios, CIS Hollywood, CIS London, Rhythm and Hues and Special Effects Atlantic) opened in close second with $40.46M.
Per VARIETY, THE MUMMY 3 won overseas, opening with more than $59M in 28 markets.
Sony's Will Ferrell/John C. Reilly comedy STEP BROTHERS dropped to third with $16.5M and $63.17M in two weeks.
MAMMA MIA! (Sony, vfx by Framestore) came in fourth with $12.62M and $87.47M after three weeks in release.
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH stayed in fifth place and earned another $6.66M for Warner Bros. with a four-week gross of $72.93M. The 3-D film, also led by Fraser, had vfx by Meteor Studios, Frantic Films, Gentle Giant Studios, Hybride Technologies, Mokko Studio, Persistence of Vision Entertainment, Realities Studio and Rodeo FX.
Kevin Costner-led political drama SWING VOTE (Buena Vista, vfx by Custom Film Effects and Great FX) opened in sixth place with $6.23M.
Sony's HANCOCK (vfx from Furious FX, Lidar Services, Sony Pictures Imageworks and X1fx) did another $5.09M for seventh place; earning $215.88M in five weeks.
Eighth place went to Disney-Pixar's WALL-E with its take of $4.603M and $204.08M in six weeks in release.
Fox's THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE came in ninth with $3.39M and $17.02M in two weeks. The film's vfx were by At The Post, Entity FX, Frantic Films and Screaming Death Monkey.
And rounding out the top ten was Fox's animated SPACE CHIMPS with $2.72M and $21.97M in three weeks out.
DreamWorks' animated flick KUNG FU PANDA placed 15th with $626,363 and $210.48M in nine weeks.
Box office information from BoxOfficeMojo.com.
