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Not the worst that could happen

Som Chivukula

Ashok Amritraj must be a happy man after viewing last weekend's box-office numbers.

What's the Worst That Could Happen?, the second movie released under his banner, Hyde Park Entertainment, opened to a decent $13.3 million to finish in fifth spot.

"It averaged about $5,000 per theatre -- which is good, but not great," said Gitesh Pandya, editor of boxofficeguru.com.

As expected, African Americans formed the core audience that came to see Martin Lawrence match wits against Danny DeVito.

But the number is certainly low for a film starring Lawrence. His last film, Big Momma's House, opened solidly with $25.7 million on the same weekend last year and finished with about $130 million in North America and $70 million abroad.

Lawrence's recent success with Blue Streak and Big Momma's House has propelled him into the elite $20 million per movie club, headed by the likes of Mel Gibson and Tom Cruise. He had signed What's the Worst..., a medium-budget film, before the release of Big Momma's House.

"I think the story line with this film [What's the Worst That Could Happen?] is not as appealing," Pandya observed.

If the movie holds up, it could prove to be a modest hit for Amritraj, whose debut banner production, Antitrust, flopped earlier this year.

Antitrust, starring Tim Robbins and Ryan Philippe, cost $30 million, but grossed a poor $15 million in North America and $1 million in Britain.

"It depends on whether there's good word-of-mouth," Pandya noted, adding that What's the Worst That Could Happen? is headed for a $45-50 million final gross.

Meanwhile, Disney's blockbuster Pearl Harbor managed to hang on to the top spot with $30 million. In 10 days, it has grossed a solid $119.3 million, heading towards a $200 million-plus tally.

Shrek, DreamWorks' animated spectacular featuring the voices of Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers, finished second with $28.4 million, bringing its total to an eye-popping $148.6 million.

"Shrek is the real big summer movie this year," Pandya gleamed. "It could reach or surpass $250 million. The sky's the limit for that one."

Shrek could challenge The Lion King's tally of $313 million if it holds steady the next few weeks. The film has been buoyed by strong word-of-mouth publicity and excellent business from both adults and children.

Last weekend's other new release, The Animal, starring Rob Schneider, opened third with a strong $19.8 million. Moulin Rouge, the musical starring Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman, was fourth with $14.2 million in its first weekend of wide release.

"Rob Schneider is coming into his own with comedy," Pandya said. "Jim Carrey went through it and Adam Sandler too."

Moulin Rouge's gross may be somewhat of a disappointment considering it played to packed houses for the last few weeks in Los Angeles and New York and received mostly positive reviews from critics.

Fox, which released the film, attributed its performance to the complex story line. Distribution president Bruce Snyder told Reuters that it performed better in cities than in small towns and blue-collar locations.

This weekend two more films hit the screens: John Travolta, who is desperately looking for a hit, stars in Swordfish, while David Duchovny takes a break from The X Files to star in Evolution.

But Pandya feels both will not challenge Shrek, which he predicts will take over the top spot.

EARLIER REPORTS:
Kidman's 'Chamma Chamma' makes a song and dance
Pearl Harbor Makes Box-office Waves

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