Kingdom rules, but not heavenly enough

The mega budget saga Kingdom Of Heaven, expected to start the summer movie season with a big bang, opened with very earthly numbers across North America. With an estimated $20 million gross, the Ridley Scott film, which cost about $140 million, could not wake up the box-office from several weeks of slumber. Exhibitors expect the dull period to end with the arrival of the last installment in the Star Wars saga on May 20.

Star Wars: Episode III -- The Revenge Of The Sith could earn $100 million in its first four days in North America alone. The final installment of George Lucas' science fiction fantasy series, which shows the creation of Darth Vader, has generated far more buzz than any other highly awaited summer movie.

Meanwhile, Kingdom of Heaven could be joining the ranks of films such as Troy and The Last Samurai, dealing with history and myth, that scored big abroad despite a mediocre run at home.

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At home, though the film got a share of favourable reviews, it proved to be no Gladiator, Scott's most successful film. The Russell Crowe film opened with an impressive $34 million about five years ago, going on to earn near $450 million worldwide.

The new movie features Orlando Bloom as blacksmith Balian who is trained by his father to be a warrior. His arrival in Jerusalem leads him swiftly to be a decision maker in a city where contentious men try to create trouble. But his vision and courage are not enough to stop other Christian leaders who seek for a new confrontation with the Muslims.

Some critics thought the film was a better movie than Gladiator. Among them was Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times who called the new film 'deeper, more thoughtful, more about human motivation and less about action.' And in the rival Chicago Tribune, Michael Wilmington called it 'a gargantuan epic.'

Several other critics lauded the film's battle scenes and editing but found it thematically hollow. 'Splendid moviemaking but less-than-splendid movie,'  wrote Eleanor Ringel Gillespie in Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In Boston Globe, Ty Burr crucified the film, calling it 'a mostly lumbering, occasionally rousing epic.'

The box-office scene was so disappointing this week that even the horror film -- a safe genre in recent years -- House of Wax had a slow start. Most horror films open big in the first week, fall steeply in the next few weeks, but eventually end up with a strong profit.

At the second position on the chart, House of Wax peeled off just about $12 million. Recently, Amityville Horror, which too received poor reviews like most of the recent scary movies, opened with $23.5 million. The movie, which cost about $20 million, is on its way to a $70 million gross in North America. But House of Wax, which cost $30 million, may find it difficult to recoup its cost unless it does great DVD business.

A loose remake of a 1953 cult classic of the same name, House of Wax could not get much of a lift by Paris Hilton. Hardcore fans must have preferred to watch her erotic video films than House Of Wax. 

The movie revolves around a group of friends on their way to a college football game who discover the House of Wax accidentally. They are horrified to see it is filled with wax-coated corpses of unlucky visitors. Most of the film focuses on the friends who struggle to find a way out before they too become permanent exhibits. 

While Roger Ebert grudgingly admitted, 'it is not a good movie but an efficient one,' other critics were hostile.

In Boston Globe, Wesley Morris called it 'stupid and grotesque.' In Chicago Tribune, Robert K Elder wrote: 'Our soft-witted sextet of heroes spend the first half of the movie scaring one another until the first casualty, 53 long minutes into the 96-minute film.'

Last week's champ, The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, also suffered a big fall. With a 57 percent dip, the film now has made $35 million.

At the fourth place was the new movie, Crash, a smart (at least for its first half) study of racial prejudices among half a dozen people in Los Angeles belonging to diverse ethnic communities and nationalities. It was directed by Paul Haggis, (the Oscar-nominated scriptwriter of Million Dollar Baby) from his own script.

Though it was showing in about 1,860 theatres (Kingdom was in 3,216 theatres and Wax 3,111), it grossed about $9 million. Its ensemble cast includes Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Thandie Newton and Matt Dillon.

Many critics including those in Chicago liked the film but it had quite a few detractors.

Still attracting a substantial number of fans, The Interpreter took the fifth place on its way to a $70-$75 million gross in North America. Abroad too, the suspense film is doing quite well. The worldwide gross could reach $160 million, leading the film into profits when the DVD version hits the market after a few months.

Last week's turkey xXx: State Of The Union had a 58 percent fall in the second week. With $20 million grossed in 10 days, the movie starring Ice Cube -- best known for his comedic work -- in a Rambo-like role will be lucky to earn $40 million.

Box-office estimates for North America, May 6 to May 8