Male/Female
Under 21 A/A-
21 To 34 B+/B
35 And Up B-/D+

Audiences continue forking over for ‘American Pie’ amid weak new releases
By DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) – ”American Pie 2” continues to out-gross all challengers. Amid a weak field of new films, the gross-out comedy remained the top movie for a third straight weekend. Taking in $12.8 million over the weekend, ”American Pie 2” pushed its total take to $109.6 million in 17 days, according to studio estimates Sunday. ”Rush Hour 2” remained the No. 2 film with $11.4 million, raising its 24-day total to $183.3 million. Among a rush of new movies, ”Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” drew the biggest audience. The comedy from writer-director Kevin Smith was No. 3 with $11.1 million.

The baseball flick ”Summer Catch,” starring Freddie Prinze Jr., debuted in sixth place with $7.5 million. The sci-fi thriller ”John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars” opened weakly with $3.8 million to finish at No. 9. Woody Allen’s ”The Curse of the Jade Scorpion,” playing in far fewer theaters than the other new films, had a so-so debut of $2.5 million to come in at No. 11.

”Bubble Boy,” a comedy about a youth with a deficient immune system, did not even break into the top 12, opening with just $2 million. Hollywood is in the midst of its typical late-summer doldrums, when movie-going trails off.

”It feels like summer is over,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations, which tracks the box office.

The industry is creeping toward its all-time summer revenue high of $3 billion set in 1999, a record Hollywood should break by next weekend. While it was a slow weekend compared to most of this summer, the overall box office still rose compared to the same weekend last year. The top 12 movies grossed $82.5 million, up about 10 percent. ”Jay and Silent Bob” drew the steadiest crowds among new films, averaging $4,014 a theater in 2,765 locations. The movie stars Jason Mewes and Smith as the title characters, who were supporting players in his previous four movies, including ”Dogma” and ”Chasing Amy.” The movie drew heavily on Smith’s cult following, but distributor Miramax hopes it will find a broader audience.

”It’s a very satisfying comedy on a lot of levels,” said David Kaminow, Miramax senior vice president for marketing. ”Hopefully, we’ll get some non-Kevin Smith fans to come and sample what we think is a great comedy.”

…

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures are to be released Monday.

1. ”American Pie 2,” $12.8 million.
2. ”Rush Hour 2,” $11.4 million.
3. ”Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” $11.1 million.
4. ”The Others,” $8.6 million.
5. ”Rat Race,” $8.3 million.
6. ”Summer Catch,” $7.5 million.
7. ”The Princess Diaries,” $6.7 million.
8. ”Captain Corelli’s Mandolin,” $3.9 million.
9. ”John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars,” $3.8 million.
10. ”Planet of the Apes,” $3.5 million.

“This week’s talk of town, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back pulled an all right but not spectacular debut this weekend, as the new Kevin Smith comedic adventure earned $11.1 million in ticket sales. Playing in 2,735 sites, Jay averaged $4,059 per-cinema. While exit polls were solid on Friday night, its Saturday drop-off suggests most fans either saw it on Friday night or at the sneak preview last Saturday (where all sneak preview money went towards The Others) and doesn’t hint a very encouraging holdup for next week. Nevertheless, with Jay & Silent Bob’s budget set at $15 – 20 million, the comedy’s $11.1 million scores as Smith’s highest debut ever and will likely become View Askews biggest success.”

The force wasn’t with “Jay and Silent Bob” to win the weekend, despite being number one on Friday. Kevin Smith’s fifth picture from his View Askewniverse delivered an estimated $11.1 million from 2,765 theaters. That bests the $8.7 million of “Dogma” to mark Smith’s best bow to date, though, so the $15 million comedy does give him something to say “Snootchie-Bootchies” about.

After an aggressive week of promotions varying from late night talk shows to television spots, Kevin Smith’s Jay & Silent Bob topped the box office as expected, but the comedy turned in only $4.4 million. While this will become the best debut for a Smith production, the Miramax release was expected to do a bit more. Jay & Silent Bob received promising exit polls from opening night, scoring an A from males under 21 and A- from females under 21 (CinemaScore). The film played in 2,735 theaters and averaged a good, but not spectacular $1,608 per-screen. For the weekend expect Jay to pull in around $12.0 – 14.5 million depending on its Saturday holdup.

Warner Brothers’ Summer Catch debuted decently, earning $2.8 million for $1,207 per-cinema in 2,335 locations. The Freddy Prince Jr. baseball flick scored a B+ average among moviegoers polled and should gross $8 – 9 million for the weekend.

Not even Ice Cube could escalate Ghosts of Mars to a solid position, as the John Carpenter flick took in $1.3 million at the box office for a poor $625 per-screen in 2,048 sites. Along with its weak opening, the film also received harsh feedback as it scored a C- average among moviegoers polled on Friday night. Ghosts of Mars looks to see about $3.6 – 4.0 million for the weekend.

Woody Allen’s Curse of the Jade Scorpion launched to rather disappointing sales, picking up just $778,000 from 903 theaters, on its way to around $2.3 – 2.8 million in ticket sales. By contrast, Small Time Crooks earned $3.9 million in 865 cinemas. Jade Scorpion picked up a B+ average among polled audiences.

Disney’s Bubble Boy saw dreadful results, as the terribly reviewed comedy grossed $646,000 for a pitiful $402 average in 1,605 locations. Bubble Boy should see $1.8 – 2.2 million in ticket sales. On the surprising side, the comedy did receive a B average grade among polled crowds.

Among holdups, American Pie 2 slipped to second place on its way to roughly $11 – 12 million. If Jay & Silent Bob were to slip up on Saturday night, AP2 could have a shot at #1.

Rush Hour 2 scored $3.4 million and is on its way to about $10 – 11 million at the box office.

I Need Your Help, Folks

If we’re to take the number one spot this weekend, I’m going to have to shamelessly (or shamefully) ask for your help today (or tonight)…

I need you to go pay to see the flick again. Today. Saturday. Not Sunday (although, feel free to go again Sunday, if you’re so inclined); but SATURDAY.

Right now, we were number one for last night. But the margin between us and the number two flick (‘American Pie 2′) was about four hundred grand. I’d like to make that margin much wider, so that we can comfortably slide into first place for the weekend – which would be a View Askew first (and probably last).

So if you saw it last night (or last week), please pay to see it again tonight. And bring a few friends. Or a few thousand friends even. Because it’s really important to win the Saturday, if we’re to win the weekend. And if we win the weekend…

Well, there’s a surprise in store for ya’ll if we win the weekend. A very nice surprise, if you like Jay and Silent Bob.

So help a brother out. Please.

Tell you what – I’ll sweeten the pot: anyone that sends in a Friday night AND Saturday night ticket stub gets a free, signed and personalized ‘Jay and Silent Bob’ mini-poster. Seriously. The ticket stubs have to be from the same theater, with two respective dates on them (Aug 24th and Aug 25th only).

Send the above-described ticket stubs and name to…
Kev’s Utter Lack of Dignity
c/o View Askew
3 Harding Road
Red Bank, NJ
07701

I know this may come off as desperate, but there’s one more thing I’d like to do with Jay and Bob before I put ‘em to bed, and in order to do that, we need to win the weekend. So you’re help would be much appreciated (and rewarded).

But regardless of what happens…

Right now…

We’re number one.

Woo-hoo!

Countingdown.com – Kevin Smith Interview
Gray Haven Magazine – “Kevin Smith: The GrayHaven Interview”
The Arizona Republic – “Jay and Silent Bob take center stage in Smith’s Jersey farewell”
USA Today – “Kevin Smith Is Seldom Silent”
Russell Lissau (Comic Book Resources) – “KEVIN SMITH ‘STRIKES’ AGAIN”

The charm of a Kevin Smith movie is that it assumes you do not enter the theater as a blank slate. “Chasing Amy” assumes a little knowledge of the world of serious comic books and collectors; “Dogma” required you to know something about Catholic theology, and “Jay and Silent Bob” has moments like the one where the Affleck character defines the Internet for Jay: “It’s a place used the world over where people can come together to bitch about movies and share pornography together.” This is a much more sophisticated idea of the Net than we find in high-tech cyberthrillers, where the Net is a place that makes your computer beep a lot.

Whether you will like “Jay and Silent Bob” depends on who you are. Most movies are made for everybody. Kevin Smith’s movies are either made specifically for you, or specifically not made for you.

AP News/Yahoo – “MTV to Air Video With Restrictions”
IFilm.Com – Links & Other J&SBSB Stuff
The Cincinnati Enquirer – “Kevin Smith Strikes Back”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution – “Slacker director gets ready for characters’ all-star farewell”
Contra Costa Times – “Silent Bob Speaks Up”
ICV2.com – “Can Jay and Silent Bob Strike Gold?”
CNN Online – Live Chat Transcript