Show V is popular in size R. R Kinsey Lowe Los Angeles Times f fA n nt t t- t The V in V for Vendetta could stand for a lot of things depending on who's talking Vituperative for example would be one way of summing up the films film's reviews in major newspapers As the movie took in an estimated million for its opening weekend the word for producer producer producer pro pro- ducer Joel Silver would be vindicated The Warner Bros movie about an unseen protagonist who thinks blowing things up is the cure for what ails a futuristic tic England didn't quite match previous openings of other rated R-rated movies also based on graphic novels Constantine with n million and Sin City with ith million Still Vendetta had the highest fourth-highest opening this year after Tyler Perrys Perry's Family Reunion Big Mommas Momma's House 2 and Underworld Evolution if estimates hold up when actual actual actual actu actu- al figures for Sunday come in on Monday Im happy this weekend Silver said He added that he was especially pleased given that the movie rights to the graphic novel were purchased back in the late and we had a hard time figuring out what to do with it Its It's a controversial subject The star is a guy in a mask The movies movie's original Nov 5 opening date was delayed foIl following owing the London subway bombings last year Warner Bros attributed the postponement to pro post delays The movie faced other challenges The original male lead was replaced shortly after shooting began the graphic novels novel's writer Alan Moore has publicly distanced himself from the project project pro pro- The movie starring Natalie Portman also scored big on another front this week week- end It lured in males successfully particularly particularly particularly par par- at the 56 screen giant-screen Imax locations locations locations loca loca- playing Vendetta at a time when box office remains sluggish in part because this audience remains so elusive t a 4 1 1 rt r rt t t o or i rt I r. r J. J r v. v r J Jr r f S w Portman one of the stars of V for Vendetta shaved her head for the part Produced and adapted by the brothers and directed by their longtime assistant director James Vendetta fell a bit shy of the debut of the brothers' brothers The Matrix which took in million when it opened in March 1999 Silver and Dan Fellman Warner Bros president of distribution hastened to point out that the totals for these kinds of movies tend to be bc considerably higher abroad Constantine added million to its domestic figure of 76 million for a worldwide worldwide worldwide world world- wide total of million Overseas The Matrix took in nearly million of its worldwide total of million Opening simultaneously in 16 international international international markets Vendetta pulled in an additional 85 million Warner Bros International reported Sunday Audiences in regular theaters were 60 percent male Silver and Fellman said according to unscientific exit surveys Breaking down the demographics further Silver said moviegoers skewed slightly older as males 25 and older accounted for 32 percent of opening weekend ticket buyers buy buy- ers and females in that age group made up 23 percent Males under 25 made up 27 percent of the audience Silver added and 18 percent were females under 25 Imax theaters accounted for an estimated ed 15 million of the weekend total for Vendetta said Greg Foster chairman of Imax Entertainment That's just short of per location for the Imax audi audi- ence A significant part of the Imax audience Foster added was made up of the the 15 to year old male crowd that has been missing from theaters Vendetta box office posted a healthy 18 percent increase Saturday from Friday business which included figures for late- late night Thursday showings in about 1200 locations out of That upswing suggests suggests suggests sug sug- strong word of Warner Bros Fellman said he was confident confident confident con con- the boost indicated term long-term playability for the movie The marketplace marketplace marketplace market market- place is not that crowded and weve we've positioned positioned positioned it to take advantage of the rolling spring break over the next few weeks in indifferent indifferent indifferent different parts of the country The only other movie to open in the top 10 the Man grossed an estimated 11 I I n million with an audience don dominated by teenage girls Paramount reported Among movies opening in limited I release the well reviewed Thank Than You for I Smoking a satire with Aaron Eckhart asan as asan asan an aggressively unapologetic tobacco industry lobbyist grossed a little more than per theater in five venues in New NewYork NewYork NewYork York Los Angeles and Washington DC D.C. Fox Searchlight reported with a 90 percent increase in business on Saturday Searchlight plans to gradually add cities each weekend leading up to a nationwide release April 7 |