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US box office looks bleak Arthur J Pais | September 08, 2003 15:03 IST It is the bleakest box office in the United States so far this year.
Sunday's estimates show that it grossed a few thousand dollars more than last week's top film, Jeepers Creepers 2. This horror movie stumbled by 56 per cent from the four-day weekend.
As schools and colleges began to open across the country, the box office took a mighty fall, especially in the absence of strong new movies. At third place, Pirates Of The Caribbean is still showing strength as it heads towards $300 million. It has grossed $282 million so far. Another Disney hit, the comedy Freaky Friday, with its $97 million gross and at least $20 million more to come, has become one of the most profitable films of the year. Rounding out the top five, the police drama S.W.A.T. took its total to an impressive $108.8 million. The supernatural thriller, The Order, starring Heath Ledger, took just about $4.3 million. It is one of the instant flops of the season. Originally called Sin Eaters, the film was set for a January release, but when the test audiences revolted against it, its producers decided to reshoot a few scenes, add more special effects, and release it under a new name. None of that helped. The movie could be out of the theatres in just about two weeks.
A tribute to tenacity and optimism, Seabiscuit is still busy harvesting the dollars. It has reached $109 million and could end its run with about $120 million. An Oscar campaign at the end of the year may see it being re-released in a handful of cities. Freddy vs Jason, the slasher movie, is still drawing quite a bit of blood. With a $3.2 million gross, its total has reached $78 million.
All three films in the American Pie series have reached $100 million. Its producers have said there will not be a fourth film in the series. But given the good performance of this film in North America and its excellent run abroad, there would be some pressure to launch a fourth film. The box office this week:
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Newcomer Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star could not even grab $10 million. This comedy, about a man trying to regain his past glory as a child artiste, grossed just about $7 million.
At number seven, Kevin Costner's well-received Western,