Screen Gems' ghost story from the Pang brothers, THE MESSENGER (with vfx from Technicolor Creative, Reality Check Studios, Michael Kaelin & Assoc. and Amalgamated Pixels), debuted in the top spot with $14.7M over the Super Bowl weekend ended Feb. 4, 2007. Universal's romantic comedy, BECAUSE I SAID SO, bowed in second place with $13.1M. Last week's winner, EPIC MOVIE, from Fox slipped to third with $8.4M for a cume of $29.5M. Fox's NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (with vfx by Rhythm & Hues, Rainmaker, The Orphanage and Weta Digital) was a fourth place finisher with $6.3M, pushing its healthy cume to $225M. Following in fifth was Universal's SMOKIN' ACES with $6.1M for a tally of $24.7M. Settling for sixth was STOMP THE YARD from Screen Gems with $4M, which was good enough to push its total to $55.8M. Paramount/DreamWorks' DREAMGIRLS (with vfx from Gray Matter FX) fell to seventh with $4M, as it reached a cume of $92.7M. Holding eighth was Picturehouse's PAN'S LABYRINTH (with CafeFX serving as production partner as well as vfx provider), which took in $3.6M for a total of $21.7M. Sony's THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS occupied ninth with $2.9M for a cume of $157.2M. Placing 10th was Miramax's THE QUEEN (with vfx from Framestore CFC), which collected another $2.6M on its way to $45.4M. Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
