'Kong' Box Office Swats at Low $6.3 Million Tally
From a Times staff writer
Director Peter Jackson's "King Kong" grossed a surprisingly low $6.3 million dollars on Thursday — raising questions about whether one of the year's most highly anticipated movies would lay claim to become a runaway blockbuster at the box office.
Going into the week, many industry observers considered "King Kong" to be a good bet for setting a box office record. That hasn't happened yet.
In fact, the disappointing domestic haul for "King Kong" led industry executives to quickly recast its expectations that Kong would take in more than $100 million in its first five days. Such a triple-digit bonanza is looking increasingly unlikely.
The early turn of events was disappointing, given the industry's yearlong slump, and was equally puzzling: The $220-million Universal movie has earned positive reviews, Jackson comes with quite the pedigree ("Lord of the Rings" trilogy), and the tale of a giant monkey who goes wild in New York City has been relentlessly hyped in the media.
Universal is opening the movie virtually worldwide. Earlier this week, Universal officials insisted they weren't concerned about the early numbers, and were confident that business would pick up next week, when school is out for many youngsters — a key demographic for the movie.
"Sometimes a movie that opens soft on a Wednesday will surprise you on the weekend," said Universal's head of distribution, Nikki Rocco.
From a Times staff writer
Director Peter Jackson's "King Kong" grossed a surprisingly low $6.3 million dollars on Thursday — raising questions about whether one of the year's most highly anticipated movies would lay claim to become a runaway blockbuster at the box office.
Going into the week, many industry observers considered "King Kong" to be a good bet for setting a box office record. That hasn't happened yet.
In fact, the disappointing domestic haul for "King Kong" led industry executives to quickly recast its expectations that Kong would take in more than $100 million in its first five days. Such a triple-digit bonanza is looking increasingly unlikely.
The early turn of events was disappointing, given the industry's yearlong slump, and was equally puzzling: The $220-million Universal movie has earned positive reviews, Jackson comes with quite the pedigree ("Lord of the Rings" trilogy), and the tale of a giant monkey who goes wild in New York City has been relentlessly hyped in the media.
Universal is opening the movie virtually worldwide. Earlier this week, Universal officials insisted they weren't concerned about the early numbers, and were confident that business would pick up next week, when school is out for many youngsters — a key demographic for the movie.
"Sometimes a movie that opens soft on a Wednesday will surprise you on the weekend," said Universal's head of distribution, Nikki Rocco.
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