‘John Q’ opens No. 1 in theaters
By DAVID GERMAIN
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Denzel Washington, fresh off his latest Oscar nomination, found a captive audience at theaters as “John Q” debuted as the top weekend film.

Starring Washington as a desperate dad who holds an emergency room hostage to secure a heart transplant for his dying son, the movie took in $20.6 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Britney Spears had a solid big-screen premiere in “Crossroads,” avoiding the box-office pitfalls encountered by some pop stars — notably Mariah Carey with “Glitter” — when they cross over to film. “Crossroads” was No. 2 with $14.6 million.

Disney’s animated “Return to Never Land,” a sequel to its classic “Peter Pan,” opened in third place with $11.8 million.

Bruce Willis’ “Hart’s War,” a World War II POW drama, had a so-so opening of $8.3 million, coming in at No. 7. The weekend’s other new movie, the police parody “Super Troopers,” tied “Black Hawk Down” for No. 8 with $6.2 million.

Last week’s Oscar nominations gave a box-office bounce to best-picture nominees. “A Beautiful Mind” climbed to $8.5 million, up 35 percent from the previous weekend. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” grossed $5 million, up 38 percent. “In the Bedroom” doubled its take to $2.5 million. “Gosford Park” took in $2.45 million, a 30 percent jump.

“Over the course of the next five weeks, in order to feel like a part of Oscar night, people love to go and catch up with all the films nominated in major categories,” said David Kaminow, senior vice president of marketing for “In the Bedroom” distributor Miramax. “It becomes a participatory sport, watching the Oscars.”

“Moulin Rouge,” the only best-picture nominee already out on video, also gained from the Oscar nominations. Since the nominations, DVD sales jumped 160 percent and VHS rentals rose 40 percent, said Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for 20th Century Fox, which released “Moulin Rouge.”

Films with acting nominations benefited. “Iris,” which earned a best-actress nomination for Judi Dench as writer Iris Murdoch, reopened in 31 theaters and grossed $300,000 after a limited run in December to qualify for the Oscars. “Monster’s Ball,” which brought Halle Berry a best-actress nomination as a death-row widow, expanded to 472 theaters, up 130, and took in $2.8 million, a 21 percent increase.

The Oscars also likely gave a boost to “John Q,” with past Oscar winner Washington cited in the best-actor category for “Training Day.”

Distributor New Line had been hoping Washington would score an Oscar nomination when it put “John Q” on the mid-February schedule last fall, said Russell Schwartz, president of domestic marketing.

The film’s main appeal was that the “subject matter resonated with a lot of people, the idea of the Everyman against the system,” Schwartz said. “With the little bit of a thriller element and Denzel being nominated, it was a great mix.”

Playing in 2,466 locations, “John Q” averaged a healthy $8,364 a theater, compared with $6,134 in 2,380 theaters for “Crossroads” and $4,526 in 2,605 cinemas for “Return to Never Land.” “Hart’s War” had a so-so average of $3,361 in 2,459 theaters, and “Super Troopers” did $3,487 in 1,778 locations.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Tuesday.

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TCU Daily Skiff © 2002