November 11th, 2003

Every beginning has its end...

No shocker here, the final installment of the popular Matrix saga topped the weekend box office as The Matrix Revolutions took in a nice 50.1 million. This is an amazing opening, as the film has made nearly 90 million since last Wednesday's opening, but given the hype dying down after last summer's disappointing "The Matrix Reloaded" and harsh critical reviews, it had to be expected that this couldn't top "Reloaded"'s opening. But the real question now is that if the grosses will hold up, or if they'll take major dips. With fan reaction mixed, we'll just have to wait and see. And if any of you are curious, I did enjoy "Revolutions."

Maybe even more exciting that "The Matrix" was what came in second place. Opening to some impressive reviews was the Will Ferrell family comedy Elf. Taking in a very strong 32.1 million, expect this one to cross well over 100 million as the Christmas season actually comes closer and word of mouth spreads.

Also impressive was Disney's 2-D animated film Brother Bear. The film barely dropped at all, this time taking in another 18.6 million. This news is sure to make traditional animated fans happy (such as myself), as the film stands a chance at doing some good business (it's already bypassed the final domestic gross of "Treasure Planet"). However, even if "Elf" dominated the movie this weekend, it faces stiff competiton in the weeks ahead as "Looney Tunes: Back In Action," "The Cat In The Hat" and Disney's own "The Haunted Mansion" opens.

About to cross 100 million is Scary Movie 3 with 11.1 million, and Radio took in another 7.4 million. The new British romantic comedy Love Actually had a decent opening of 6.6 million - not bad considering it's only playing in about 200 theaters (it expands over the weekend to more). Mystic River, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Runaway Jury tied with 4.8 million and The School Of Rock took in another 3.1 million for tenth.

Can Warner's "Matrix" survive another of their prime franchises, Looney Tunes, next weekend? Stay tuned DVD fans!

-Zach B.