Arts, Etc.Movies

‘Shrek’ tops off summer box office

Edwards Cinema on Foothill Blvd. and Emerald Ave. in La Verne was built in 1992. Citizens of La Verne raised concerns of the theatre bringing in more traffic and crime. Special elections were held to settle the matter. The Edwards Cinema franchise filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August, 2000. However the cinema in La Verne will not be shutting down. / photo by Jennifer Contreras
Edwards Cinema on Foothill Blvd. and Emerald Ave. in La Verne was built in 1992. Citizens of La Verne raised concerns of the theatre bringing in more traffic and crime. Special elections were held to settle the matter. The Edwards Cinema franchise filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August, 2000. However the cinema in La Verne will not be shutting down. / photo by Jennifer Contreras

by Tim Tevault
Arts & Entertainment Editor

The summer of 2001 box office proved to be ruled by sequels, as five of the 11 movies which grossed over $100 million were part of a franchise.

The top-grossing movie was the animated comedy “Shrek,” featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz. Taking in more than $264 million, it was the surprise hit of the summer.

With its strong box office pull, “Shrek” is destined to become the top grossing film of the year.

In second place was the top sequel of the year, “Rush Hour 2,” featuring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. The martial arts comedy drew in the audience it was looking for, grossing more than $215 million.

Rounding out the top three was “The Mummy Returns,” which was also the only other movie this summer to cross the $200 million mark. Brendan Fraser’s hit had help this time around with star power from The Rock.

Other movies crossing the immaculate $100 million mark were “Pearl Harbor,” earning $197 million, “Jurassic “Park III,” grossing $178 million, “Planet of the Apes,” grossing $177 million, “The Fast and the Furious,” with $143 million, “American Pie 2,” grossing $134 million, “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” earning $131 million, “Dr. Doolittle 2,” at $112 million and “The Princess Diaries”with $102 million.

Other box office successes this summer which did not cross the $100 million mark were “America’s Sweethearts,” $93 million, “Cats and Dogs,” $92 million, “Legally Blonde,” $92 million, “The Others,” $80 million, and “Artificial Intelligence (A.I.),” $78 million.

A trend set by most of those movies was to debut at number one, then fall from the top spot the following week. This drop was usually accompanied by a decline of about 50 percent of the financial intake.

This summer also had its share of disappointments. Perhaps the biggest of which was “Scary Movie 2,” the only popular sequel that did not cross the $100 million mark.

It grossed just $71 million, half of what its predecessor grossed, possibly ending that franchise.

Another disappointment was Disney’s newest animated feature, “Atlantis: The Lost Empire.” It only grossed $81 million, which was less than Disney’s other major feature, “The Princess Diaries.”

Other financial disappointments included “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within,” $32 million, “Summer Catch,” $19 million, “Original Sin,” $16 million, “Bubble Boy,” $4 million, “Pootie Tang,” $3 million, and “Glitter,” $2 million.

All totals are as of Sept. 23.

Tim Tevault, Arts Editor
Tim Tevault
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Jennifer Contreras, Editorial Director
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