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Craig Younkin
Friday Box Office Analysis (6/4)
By Lee Tistaert Published June 5, 2004
For the weekend, Harry Potter should be heading for a gross of $110 - 120 million, and will challenge Spider-Man for the biggest three-day opening in history.
Delivering to Spider-Man numbers, Harry Potter returned with full force, avoiding the declining sales path that Chamber of Secrets started with on its opening day (in comparison to the first Potter), and actually increased over the first two by a significant margin. Grossing $41.2 million from 3,855 theaters, The Prisoner of Azakaban averaged $10,691 per-screen, ahead of the record opening night gross of Spider-Man ($39.4 million - $10,901 per-screen).
The first Harry Potter film, Sorcerer?s Stone, debuted in November of 2001 to the tune of $32.3 million ($8,605 per-screen) on Friday following its massive pre-release buzz. In 2002, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets slid to $28.6 million ($7,776 per-screen) on Friday, though carried through with an equivalent $87.4 million weekend figure (Sorcerer?s Stone grossed $90.2 million).
With Prisoner of Azkaban being the first Potter release to be granted a summer debut, more of its fan base is out for summer at this point and can afford the time to hit the theater on Friday. This factor raises the question of whether or not the flick will be frontloaded by Saturday, as Shrek 2 had made a softer impact on its third day (Friday) and jumped to this level of business on Saturday. But since this third entry has been labeled by some fans as the best Harry Potter story of them all, this edition could be reaching out to those who might have been questionable about the previous two.
Spider-Man increased to $43.6 million ($12,067 per-screen) on Saturday, though it did have the advantage of targeting a very wide demographic range (and was considered ?new? compared to the Potter buzz having died down a bit by Chamber of Secrets' debut). A Saturday increase for Prisoner of Azkaban, however small or modest, is entirely possible, but the possibility of downsized ticket sales (however small) is also on the horizon. For the weekend, Harry Potter should be heading for a gross in the region of $110 - 120 million, and will challenge Spider-Man for the biggest three-day opening in history.
The first Harry Potter film, Sorcerer?s Stone, debuted in November of 2001 to the tune of $32.3 million ($8,605 per-screen) on Friday following its massive pre-release buzz. In 2002, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets slid to $28.6 million ($7,776 per-screen) on Friday, though carried through with an equivalent $87.4 million weekend figure (Sorcerer?s Stone grossed $90.2 million).
With Prisoner of Azkaban being the first Potter release to be granted a summer debut, more of its fan base is out for summer at this point and can afford the time to hit the theater on Friday. This factor raises the question of whether or not the flick will be frontloaded by Saturday, as Shrek 2 had made a softer impact on its third day (Friday) and jumped to this level of business on Saturday. But since this third entry has been labeled by some fans as the best Harry Potter story of them all, this edition could be reaching out to those who might have been questionable about the previous two.
Spider-Man increased to $43.6 million ($12,067 per-screen) on Saturday, though it did have the advantage of targeting a very wide demographic range (and was considered ?new? compared to the Potter buzz having died down a bit by Chamber of Secrets' debut). A Saturday increase for Prisoner of Azkaban, however small or modest, is entirely possible, but the possibility of downsized ticket sales (however small) is also on the horizon. For the weekend, Harry Potter should be heading for a gross in the region of $110 - 120 million, and will challenge Spider-Man for the biggest three-day opening in history.
'Prisoner of Azkaban' Articles
- Craig's Prisoner of Azkaban review B
June 5, 2004 Alfonso Cuaron proves he has a knack for dark storytelling, shifting the previously lighthearted tone while still keeping with the humor and fun of the series. -- Craig Younkin - Gareth's Prisoner of Azkaban review A-
June 4, 2004 Director Alfonso Curan keeps the franchise moving along and stays true to the vision that Chris Columbus started while imprinting his own unique style. -- Gareth Von Kallenbach
