‘John Q’ Owes No. 1 Finish to Its Public

Denzel Washington took the gold and Britney Spears the silver in the weekend box office heat. The bronze went to Peter Pan.

The trio of strong openers and several movies benefiting from Oscar nominations helped propel ticket sales forward for the start of the President’s Day holiday at the nation’s theaters. According to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations, the top 12 movies grossed an estimated $109 million for the Friday through Sunday period, slightly ahead of the same weekend last year.

Although critics didn’t much care for the way in which “John Q” dealt with the shortcomings of the nation’s health care system, audiences seemed primed for the film’s message, especially with Washington leading the charge. Attracting a primarily older male audience, with a heavy African American component, “John Q” grossed approximately $20.6 million in its first weekend in 2,466 theaters. Exit polls, according to New Line co-marketing head Russell Schwartz, were extremely positive.

As a leading man, Washington is on a winning streak--critics liked him, if not the film--following Oscar nominated performances in 1999’s “The Hurricane” and last year’s “Training Day,” as well as “Remember the Titans,” his biggest commercial hit to date.

Unlike Mariah Carey, who attempted to carry the flimsy melodrama “Glitter,” Spears (and Jive Records, her recording company) emphasized the ensemble nature of “Crossroads,” her starring debut. While reviewers seemed to be more interested in her presentation than her acting, they awarded her good scores all around. Playing to a teenage crowd, especially younger females (girls made up 84% of the audience, a majority aged 15 and younger), “Crossroads” grossed an estimated $14.6 million in 2,380 theaters in its first three days, more than the film’s modest $12-million budget.

Disney continued its roll of family hits with “Return to Never Land,” a low-budget animated sequel to “Peter Pan.” “Never Land” took flight with $11.8 million over the weekend in 2,605 theaters.

Meanwhile, “Snow Dogs,” starring Cuba Gooding Jr., continues to prosper in 10th place with about $5.8 million in its fifth weekend, in 2,286 theaters and $67.2 million to date, one of the box office highlights of the new year.

Disney isn’t the only company prospering with family films. Universal’s “Big Fat Liar,” starring “Malcolm in the Middle’s” Frankie Muniz, held on with $8.7 million in its second weekend in 2,535 theaters and more than $22 million in its first 10 days.

After debuting in first place, “Collateral Damage” sank to fifth, dropping 40% from its opening weekend figures to about $9 million in 2,824 theaters and $28.5 million to date.

The World War II era “Hart’s War,” which suffered mediocre reviews, debuted to an estimated $8.3 million in 2,459 theaters. The seventh-place start for the expensive action film starring Bruce Willis dealt MGM another blow after the dismal showing of last weekend’s “Rollerball,” which dropped more than 50% to an estimated $4 million in its second weekend, in 2,762 theaters. The film has earned about $15 million.

The weekend’s fifth major release, the offbeat gross-out comedy “Super Troopers,” performed well considering its minuscule $3-million budget, grossing about $6.2 million in its first weekend, in 1,778 theaters.

“Black Hawk Down,” which didn’t make the cut for a best picture nomination but was cited for director Ridley Scott and screenwriters, grossed an additional $6.2 million in its fifth weekend, in 2,150 theaters, and more than $95 million to date. By next weekend, “Black Hawk” is expected to become Scott’s third $100-million-plus grosser, following “Gladiator” and “Hannibal.”

Eight Oscar nominations, including best picture, elevated drama “A Beautiful Mind” by 35% in its ninth weekend to an estimated $8.5 million in 2,065 theaters; the film should cross the $125-million mark today. The 13 nominations, including best picture, garnered by “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” gave the film a boost of about 38%, earning $5 million in 1,507 theaters. Now the second-highest-grossing film of 2001, with $278 million to date, “Rings” is expected to earn $300 million in the U.S. and more than $500 million abroad, making it one of the top-grossing movies of all time.

Though USA Films didn’t report figures Sunday, competing studio tallies show that “Gosford Park”--nominated for seven Academy Awards--spiked by almost 35% over the weekend in 837 theaters, adding an estimated $2.5 million for a total of more than $25 million. Five nominations for “In the Bedroom” buoyed attendance by 50% as it expanded from 737 to 1,002 screens, grossing $2.5 million, for a total of about $23 million. And while “Moulin Rouge” is out on video, 20th Century Fox reports that DVD sales jumped 160% and video rentals were up 40%.

Nominations for best original screenplay and best actress (Halle Berry) helped “Monster’s Ball” add $2.8 million in 473 theaters, for almost $8 million total. Sean Penn’s best actor nod aided “I Am Sam,” with about $3.5 million on 1,259 screens, for nearly $30 million.