Sony's CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE (with Sony Pictures Imageworks and The Orphanage supplying the bulk of the VFX) may have won the box office derby, but its $37.6M was less than spectacular. So far, the 2003 summer box office is 2% less than last year's. Universal's THE HULK, meanwhile, plunged nearly 70% in its second weekend, adding $18.8M, still good enough for second place. The ILM VFX feast has earned $100.5M thus far.
Finishing third and still going strong as perhaps the summer's biggest powerhouse is Disney/Pixar's FINDING NEMO. With $13.9M for this past weekend and $253.9M in only five weeks, the blockbuster fish tale just passed TOY STORY 2 for the number three slot on the all-time list of computer-animated grossers. By mid-week it should climb over MONSTERS, INC. for the second spot, and by the end of the July 4 weekend, it might even eclipse SHREK for number one.
Debuting at number four was Fox Searchilight's U.K. zombie flick, 28 DAYS LATER (with VFX by Clear and The Moving Picture Co.), which scored at impressive $10M. Universal's 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS dropped to fifth with $6.2M and a cume of $113.9M. Crystal Dowd served as VFX producer and Collin Fowler was VFX coordinator for Illusion Arts.
Universal's BRUCE ALMIGHTY, the God-induced comedy starring Jim Carrey, held the sixth spot with $6.1M. That's still good for $221.3M. Paramount's THE ITALIAN JOB dropped to number seven, adding another $5.4M to run its take to $76.7M. RUGRATS GO WILD crashed another 47%, adding only $3.6M to its $30.9M cume for Paramount/Nickelodeon/Klasky Csupo. Sony/Revolution's HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE (with VFX from Sony Imageworks) settled in ninth place with $3M and a total so far of $27.3M. Holding the tenth spot was Warner Bros.' ALEX AND EMMA, with $2.6M and a two-week total of $11.5M Box office data supplied by boxofficemojo.com.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
