Friday Box Office Analysis (12/5)

He was no Maximus, but Tom Cruise still easily led the way on opening day with The Last Samurai, as the well reviewed epic grossed in line with his Vanilla Sky entry, heading to a 3-day figure in the region of $25 - 27 million.

Boasted by critics as one of the best films of the year, Last Samurai gave audiences Oscar bait and mature adults something serious to look at following Master & Commander. The film grossed an estimated $8.2 million on Friday, averaging a strong $2,820 per-screen; in comparison, Vanilla Sky turned in $8.9 million on opening day, averaging $3,230 per-screen (in 2,742 theaters). Cruise?s larger scaled sci-fi/thriller, Minority Report, took in $11.7 million for a $3,887 average. With adult audiences likely to give Last Samurai a decent boost on Saturday, the film could out-gross Vanilla Sky?s $25.1 million weekend figure, but it?s probably going to be close.

Proving again that predictability sells in the genre, Universal?s teen flick, Honey, scored remarkably well on opening night, earning $5.0 million in ticket sales for a very impressive $2,589 per-screen in only 1,941 theaters. Despite not being backed by Paramount and MTV Films, the feel-good dance flick aimed to a young female demographic that hasn?t been targeted much in this league since Drumline ($4.1 million - $2,247 per-screen) and Save the Last Dance ($7.5 million - $3,369 per-screen). Both Drumline and Last Dance saw decent second day inclines on Saturday, which puts Honey on course for grossing $13 - 15 million for the weekend frame.