LOS ANGELES, May 11 (UPI) -- Despite a string of downbeat box-office returns, Daily Variety reported Wednesday the U.S. movie business is pretty healthy so far this year.
The paper said there have been fewer wide releases in 2005 than in the same time last year -- and none has performed at the level of last year's "The Passion of the Christ." But this year's releases are performing, on average, better than their 2004 counterparts. Variety also said it will become difficult to argue the box office is troubled after the expected monster opening next week of "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith."
"The sky isn't falling," said Warner Bros. distribution President Dan Fellman.
So far this year, the U.S. box office has taken in close to $2.6 billion, according to Nielsen EDI. That's down from nearly $2.8 billion to this point last year -- a drop of 6 percent.
