Snakes On A Plane (2006)
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'Snakes' Slithers to No. 1 in Box-Office
Monday, August 21, 2006 8:15 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By GARY GENTILE
LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Snakes on a Plane" was the weekend's top-grossing film, but its $15.2 million box-office bite was a disappointment for a film that has been buzzed about on the Internet for months.
The campy horror flick, however, which cost about $30 million to make, should eventually turn a profit for distributor New Line.
The Samuel L. Jackson thriller, about a plane sabotaged by bad guys unloosing a pack of killer snakes, did not meet the lofty expectations created by the early swell of chat-room excitement and fan-generated trailers and gushing praise.
The studio expected the film to top $20 million its opening week, although it wasn't quite sure if or how the Internet frenzy would translate into box-office bucks.
"It was one of those things where for three months we were trying to catch up with the Internet on this picture," New Line head of distribution David Tuckerman said. "We were never sure where it was going to go. It just was disappointing. We thought it would do better."
In the end, the movie may have suffered from too much attention.
"People started to take the Internet buzz a little bit too seriously," said Lew Harris, editorial director for Movies.com, which is owned by The Walt Disney Co.
"The buzz starts feeding on itself. People then start thinking this is appealing to a larger audience than it was."
For a movie to open with $30 million or more — as was expected by some — "you need a pretty mainstream audience as opposed to the fanboys buzzing about it on the Web," Harris said.
Seattle-based Bridget O'Neill, 24, whose blog is www.snakesonstuff.com, said the film's ticket sales were a testament to the excitement generated by Internet fans.
"It wasn't supposed to be a big movie at all and then it got all this hype and I think being number one the first weekend was pretty amazing," she said. "I've already seen it three times."
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. are:
1. "Snakes on a Plane," New Line, $15,206,301, 3,555 locations, $4,277 average, $15,206,301, one week.
2. "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," Sony, $13,755,387, 3,741 locations, $3,677 average, $114,341,263, three weeks.
3. "World Trade Center," Paramount, $10,901,350, 2,998 locations, $3,636 average, $45,105,868, two weeks.
4. "Step Up," Disney, $10,157,605, 2,639 locations, $3,849 average, $39,738,435, two weeks.
5. "Accepted," Universal, $10,023,835, 2,914 locations, $3,440 average, $10,023,835, one week.
6. "Barnyard: The Original Party Animals," Paramount, $7,581,622, 3,227 locations, $2,349 average, $46,088,273, three weeks.
7. "Little Miss Sunshine," Fox Searchlight, $5,610,845, 691 locations, $8,120 average, $12,692,059, four weeks.
8. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," Disney, $5,212,351, 2,277 locations, $2,289 average, $401,253,092, seven weeks.
9. "Material Girls," MGM , $4,603,121, 1,509 locations, $3,050 average, $4,603,121, one week.
10. "Pulse," Weinstein Co./Dimension, $3,519,889, 2,323 locations, $1,515 average, $14,695,988, two weeks.
11. "The Descent," Lionsgate, $2,437,269, 1,720 locations, $1,417 average, $22,320,119, three weeks.
12. "Miami Vice," Universal, $2,427,730, 1,680 locations, $1,445 average, $59,852,850, four weeks.
13. "Zoom," Sony, $2,415,611, 2,501 locations, $966 average, $9,023,155, two weeks.
14. "Monster House," Sony, $1,970,819, 1,673 locations, $1,178 average, $67,372,407, five weeks.
15. "The Devil Wears Prada," Fox, $1,307,434, 824 locations, $1,587 average, $118,996,040, eight weeks.
16. "John Tucker Must Die," Fox, $1,103,954, 1,218 locations, $906 average, $38,637,285, four weeks.
17. "The Ant Bully," Warner Bros., $1,041,357, 850 locations, $1,225 average, $24,616,815, four weeks.
18. "You, Me and Dupree," Universal, $1,005,675, 759 locations, $1,325 average, $72,887,490, six weeks.
19. "The Illusionist," Yari Film Group, $927,956, 51 locations, $18,195 average, $927,956, one week.
20. "Superman Returns," Warner Bros., $848,255, 383 locations, $2,215 average, $194,165,746, eight weeks.
Monday, August 21, 2006 8:15 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By GARY GENTILE
LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Snakes on a Plane" was the weekend's top-grossing film, but its $15.2 million box-office bite was a disappointment for a film that has been buzzed about on the Internet for months.
The campy horror flick, however, which cost about $30 million to make, should eventually turn a profit for distributor New Line.
The Samuel L. Jackson thriller, about a plane sabotaged by bad guys unloosing a pack of killer snakes, did not meet the lofty expectations created by the early swell of chat-room excitement and fan-generated trailers and gushing praise.
The studio expected the film to top $20 million its opening week, although it wasn't quite sure if or how the Internet frenzy would translate into box-office bucks.
"It was one of those things where for three months we were trying to catch up with the Internet on this picture," New Line head of distribution David Tuckerman said. "We were never sure where it was going to go. It just was disappointing. We thought it would do better."
In the end, the movie may have suffered from too much attention.
"People started to take the Internet buzz a little bit too seriously," said Lew Harris, editorial director for Movies.com, which is owned by The Walt Disney Co.
"The buzz starts feeding on itself. People then start thinking this is appealing to a larger audience than it was."
For a movie to open with $30 million or more — as was expected by some — "you need a pretty mainstream audience as opposed to the fanboys buzzing about it on the Web," Harris said.
Seattle-based Bridget O'Neill, 24, whose blog is www.snakesonstuff.com, said the film's ticket sales were a testament to the excitement generated by Internet fans.
"It wasn't supposed to be a big movie at all and then it got all this hype and I think being number one the first weekend was pretty amazing," she said. "I've already seen it three times."
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. are:
1. "Snakes on a Plane," New Line, $15,206,301, 3,555 locations, $4,277 average, $15,206,301, one week.
2. "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," Sony, $13,755,387, 3,741 locations, $3,677 average, $114,341,263, three weeks.
3. "World Trade Center," Paramount, $10,901,350, 2,998 locations, $3,636 average, $45,105,868, two weeks.
4. "Step Up," Disney, $10,157,605, 2,639 locations, $3,849 average, $39,738,435, two weeks.
5. "Accepted," Universal, $10,023,835, 2,914 locations, $3,440 average, $10,023,835, one week.
6. "Barnyard: The Original Party Animals," Paramount, $7,581,622, 3,227 locations, $2,349 average, $46,088,273, three weeks.
7. "Little Miss Sunshine," Fox Searchlight, $5,610,845, 691 locations, $8,120 average, $12,692,059, four weeks.
8. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," Disney, $5,212,351, 2,277 locations, $2,289 average, $401,253,092, seven weeks.
9. "Material Girls," MGM , $4,603,121, 1,509 locations, $3,050 average, $4,603,121, one week.
10. "Pulse," Weinstein Co./Dimension, $3,519,889, 2,323 locations, $1,515 average, $14,695,988, two weeks.
11. "The Descent," Lionsgate, $2,437,269, 1,720 locations, $1,417 average, $22,320,119, three weeks.
12. "Miami Vice," Universal, $2,427,730, 1,680 locations, $1,445 average, $59,852,850, four weeks.
13. "Zoom," Sony, $2,415,611, 2,501 locations, $966 average, $9,023,155, two weeks.
14. "Monster House," Sony, $1,970,819, 1,673 locations, $1,178 average, $67,372,407, five weeks.
15. "The Devil Wears Prada," Fox, $1,307,434, 824 locations, $1,587 average, $118,996,040, eight weeks.
16. "John Tucker Must Die," Fox, $1,103,954, 1,218 locations, $906 average, $38,637,285, four weeks.
17. "The Ant Bully," Warner Bros., $1,041,357, 850 locations, $1,225 average, $24,616,815, four weeks.
18. "You, Me and Dupree," Universal, $1,005,675, 759 locations, $1,325 average, $72,887,490, six weeks.
19. "The Illusionist," Yari Film Group, $927,956, 51 locations, $18,195 average, $927,956, one week.
20. "Superman Returns," Warner Bros., $848,255, 383 locations, $2,215 average, $194,165,746, eight weeks.
