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Barbershop's clean shave
The genial comedy could be Ice Cube's biggest hit
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Arthur J Pais
Defying the box-office experts who had predicted a dull week for new movies, the genial comedy Barbershop cut a fine figure, grossing $21 million in three days. Some reviewers had said it would be a cut above the others. It proved much more than that.
You might even say it shaved off the competition. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, for instance, grossed a solid but distant $11 million.
The $12 million movie Barbershop is about a young man's efforts to reclaim the barbershop he had inherited from his father but had sold to a loan shark. It is shaping as comedian Ice Cube's biggest hit, with a potential of over $60 million gross. The film received the best reviews for a film starring the rap star, and its appeal went beyond his core constituency, the African-Americans.
The film played in about 1600 movie houses. Given the high praise it received in exit polls, there is certainly a possibility of more theaters being added coming Friday. Though several movies including the dramatic saga The Four Feathers and female buddy comedy The Banger Sisters, with Susan Sarandon and Goldie Hawn, are debuting next week, distributor MGM is convinced there will be ample of room for Barbershop.
MGM marketing president Peter Adee told reporters that while nearly 70 per cent of the audiences for Barbershop were African Americans, he expects the film to draw a wider audience in the coming week because of the wide word of mouth --- and excellent reviews in such publications as Chicago Tribune. MGM could soon green light a sequel.
For the cash-starved MGM, which has seen one film after another flopping, Barbershop has brought a much welcome relief. With a big buzz for its James Bond adventure, Die Another Day which opens in November, the studio expects a turnaround in the coming months.
But there were no Ivy League prospects for the poorly reviewed Stealing Harvard, which opened with an anaemic $6.3 million gross. And the Robert De Niro cop drama, City By The Sea, failed the beat, dropping by about 46 per cent in the second week, having arrested a so-so $16 million.
Meanwhile, the ever reliable My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which continues its box-office honeymoon, reached $110 million gross. Now in its 21st week, Wedding is dancing in about 1,760 movie houses, having added 69 last week. Another expansion is being eyed for the coming week.
The dark Robin Williams crime story One Hour Photo continues to attract upscale audiences in significant numbers. Though it is playing in just about 1,200 theatres, it grossed $7.7 million over the weekend, taking its total to $14.2 million in four weekends. Three of those weekends were spent in a few hundred movie houses. There could be another but small expansion next week.
Distributor Fox Searchlight does not want to release the film in too many theatres so that it does not draw audiences who won't appreciate it. Williams, who slashed his standard $15 million per movie fee, to play a darker character is seen as a photo store worker who becomes obsessed with one family whose photos he has been developing.
Last week's surprise hit, Swimfan, a story of obsessive love involving teens, lost about 45 per cent of its box-office clout but managed to earn a decent $6 million, its ten-day gross reaching $19.7 million. The movie, which cost about $12 million, is head for a healthy $33 million gross and a decent profit.
M Night Shyamalan's Signs continues to reap good harvests week after week. With a $5.2 million weekend gross and a total of $212.9 million, it has overtaken the comedy Austin Powers in Goldmember, which has grossed about $209 million and may have just two or three weeks left for the movie house run.