WEEKEND BOXOFFICE REPORT: 'Bridget Jones's Diary' Steps Up to Nip 'Spy Kids' for No. 1; Tom Green's 'Freddy' Stumbles to No. 5

23 Apr, 2001 By: Hive News

---

Miramax was the big winner this weekend. Even though Spy Kids’ run at No. 1 ended at three weeks, another Miramax film, Bridget Jones's Diary stepped up to seize its spot at the top. Still spinning a web of chills at No. 3, Along Came a Spider kept out the newcomers Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles and Freddy Got Fingered, which rounded out the top five.

Throwing aside this weekend’s upstarts while acting like a debutante in its second weekend, British comedy Bridget Jones's Diary, starring Renee Zellweger, grabbed an estimated $10.5 million, almost a replay of last weekend’s $10.7 million, for a sterling 10-day total of $25.7 million. The R-rated film is also No. 1 in the U.K., which this weekend qualifies as a Grand Slam. Such a strong second-frame showing suddenly makes Bridget Jones's Diary a hot movie, which will generate its own momentum.

Paramount locked up the No. 3 and 4 slots with Along Came Spider, and new-old Paul Hogan comedy Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles. Along Came Spider grossed $9.2 million to rule the adult thriller high ground, bringing its 17-day total to a sparkling $47.1 million. The PG-rated Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles rounded up an estimated $8 million by appealing to families and other mammals, which Freddy didn’t.

Comedian Tom Green’s Freddy Got Fingered wasn’t a big loser in its opening weekend, grossing out an estimated $7.2 million, but it wasn’t a winner by a long shot, as Green’s male MTV army may have been too embarrassed to show their support for such a misguided effort. Look for a fast fade and quick exit for the R-rated Fox laugh-jerker, then on to a warmer reception in home video.

Hanging in the big picture at No. 6, Blow continues to prove that Johnny Depp is the only actor today who can jump from chocolate to coke, scoring an estimated $6 million weekend for a $35.3 million total. Laughing quietly at No. 7, David Spade’s Joe Dirt picked up $5.4 million over the weekend, for $19.2 million in 10 days for Sony. Whoopi Goldberg-LL Cool J’s Kingdom Come dug up $4.7 million for a total of $16.6 million in 10 days for Fox Searchlight. Josie and the Pussycats tripped over an estimated $3.1 million to finish at No. 9, for a 10-day total of $11 million in cat food.

Not to be lumped in the bottom-feeder category, Paramount’s war drama Enemy at the Gates, in its sixth weekend of box office combat, closed out the top 10 with an estimated $2.1 million for a total of $46.5 million. Climbing to No. 12 in limited release is Pierce Brosnan-Geoffrey Rush’s The Tailor of Panama.

Tumbling out of the top 10: Ashley Judd’s Someone Like You ($24.9 total to date) and Warner Bros.’ Pokemon 3 ($15.5 million to date).

Spy Kids’ No. 1 streak may have been snapped, but it didn’t give up the chase easily, closely tailing Bridget Jones’s Diary with an estimated $10.2 million. With a total to date of about $86.1 million, Spy Kids should break the $100 million barrier within the next two weeks -- not a bad weekend's haul for Miramax.

Bookmark it: