Move over MADAGASCAR. Foxs MR. AND MRS. SMITH grabbed the second best three-day opening of the year $50.3M thanks to the sultry star power of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The romantic thriller (with vfx by Digital Dimension) finished ahead of the pack for the weekend ended June 12, 2005. Meanwhile, DreamWorks MADAGASCAR fell to second place with $17.1M. The three-week cume for the 3D-animated comedy hit $128.4M. Foxs REVENGE OF THE SITH (with that stunning ILM vfx) held the third spot with $14.8M and has reached $332.1M as it continues its box office descent. Paramounts THE LONGEST YARD (with vfx by Rhythm & Hues) slipped to fourth place with $13.8M and $118.4M. Dimensions THE ADVENTURES OF SHARK BOY AND LAVA GIRL IN 3-D (with vfx from Troublemaker, Hybride, Hydraulx, ILM, The Orphanage, Tippett and others) debuted at number five with $12.5M. Universals CINDERELLA MAN (with vfx from Digital Domain) settled for sixth with $9.7M and $34.6M. Warner Bros. THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS followed in seventh with $5.7M and $23.7M. Paramounts THE HONEYMOONERS debuted in eighth place with $5.5M. New Lines MONSTER-IN-LAW (with vfx by Digital Dimension) fell to ninth with $2.6M and $76.4M. And Lions Gates French import, HIGH TENSION, debuted in 10th with $1.8M.
Hayao Miyazakis well-received HOWLS MOVING CASTLE debuted in 14th place with $427,987 for Buena Vista (with Pixars Pete Docter and Disneys Rick Dempsey overseeing the American version) in only 36 theaters. Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
