Boxoffice Weekend Report May 31 - June 2 2002

Paramount rang up a $31.2 million bow at No. 1 for "The Sum of All Fears" and Universal/Imagine's "Undercover Brother" debuted at No. 4 with $12.1 million. Overall, though, the news was downbeat -- especially for "Star Wars" -- as total receipts declined for the first weekend since February.

Basketball playoffs and franchise fatigue took much of the blame for a lackluster frame whose combined grosses dipped 3% to roughly $123 million, according to Nielsen EDI.

"The attention span only lasts so long," reasoned Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen. "People were ready to move on" from "Spider-Man" and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones."

The latest George Lucas installment slid 57% from the Friday-Sunday portion of the Memorial Day span -- a far cry from previous summerlong "Star Wars" juggernauts. The picture may not reach $300 million and will be the first "Star Wars" film that will not be the highest-grossing film of the year. It is undoubtedly a financial success but is fading rapidly by the franchise's exalted standards.

"It is an incredibly crowded marketplace," said Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder. "With $20 million, I should be thrilled, but I think after next weekend we'll get a better idea of where it's headed."

If "Fears" proved a respite, especially for older audiences (66% of audiences were 25 or older) its terrorists-with-nukes theme made it an unexpected one.

But in producer Mace Neufeld's view, "You can't think for the audience. They're not avoiding tough subjects. They're surrounded by them."

Indeed, alarms about a possible war between India and Pakistan were being sounded just as "Fears" launched on Friday. Yet 71% of exit poll respondents still said they'd recommend the picture, with 83% rating it "very good" or "excellent."

The picture enjoyed the best opening of any Tom Clancy adaptation. The last Jack Ryan outing, "Clear and Present Danger," collected $20.3 million in May 1994.

Following Memorial Day is hardly a route to success; in fact, the post-holiday weekend is historically one of the summer's softest.

Lewellen contended that the record megaplex traffic in May set the table nicely for "Fears."

"A habit has been spurred by all of that product," he said.

Universal's "Undercover" mission -- going in under the radar with a word of mouth comedy -- was largely accomplished. The blaxploitation spoof, based on a Web series, focused its bow on urban playdates and thus wound up with a modest opening count of 2,168 theaters.

"It's a comedy with anything and everything in it," said Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco. "It does remind me of the first 'Austin Powers.' "

If that model can be emulated, "Brother" will clear $50 million theatrically and enjoy a healthy ancillary life.

Other titles have proved less than habit-forming. All three Memorial Day freshmen stumbled as sophomores.

Warner Bros.' "Insomnia" lost adult audiences to "Fears," dropping 53% and adding $9.8 million to its $41.4 million cume.

DreamWorks' "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" is equal parts thoroughbred and Alpo. Its drop of 40% was the smallest on the chart, but the toon's $38.2 million tally is less than the company had hoped for, especially given its ample 3,362 playdates. With "Scooby-Doo" and "Lilo & Stitch" looming, $100 million could prove too high a hurdle.

"Enough" couldn't reverse its feeble fortunes, slipping 51% with $9.8 million. But Sony was too busy counting "Spider-Man" tickets to dwell too much on its Jennifer Lopez results.

"Spidey," unlike "Clones," has shown some estimable legs. It passed the $350 million mark in 31 days, faster than any other title, and will soon supplant "Jurassic Park" to become No. 5 of all time.

The first half of June is typically a period of consolidation at the box office, with mega-titles scarce.

Year-to-date grosses are still about 20% ahead of 2001 levels, and with "Minority Report" and "Men in Black 2" within sight, the pace will soon accelerate.

The coming weekend will see two wide entrants: Disney's "Bad Company" and Warners' "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood."