'Die Another Day' tops 'Potter' sequel

HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The much anticipated opening of "Die Another Day" topped the second weekend of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" at the nation's weekend box office with an estimated take of $47 million at 3,314 theaters during the Friday-Sunday period, studio sources said Sunday.

MGM's 20th James Bond film, teaming Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry, performed in line with expectations amid a massive marketing campaign that took advantage of Berry's rising star power and strong reviews.

"Die Another Day" easily broke the record for best opening by a Bond movie, topping the $35.5 million debut for 1999's "The World Is Not Enough," and appears poised to continue attracting healthy business over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend when overall movie-going reaches peak levels much to the delight of theater owners.

Industry analyst Arthur Rockwell, a former MGM executive, noted that 007 movies have tended to generate above-average performances following their first Friday-Sunday; about 65 percent of the audience was over 25.

"The Bond films have not had huge openings because they're aimed at a somewhat older demographic," he mused. "The truth will come over the next week."

Warner Bros.' "Chamber of Secrets," which posted the third-highest opening ever last weekend with $88.4 million, came in a close second with $42.4 million at 3,682 theaters as the sequel fell 52 percent.

"When the opening is that big, it's not a surprise to see a pretty major decline, but the second weekend number is still pretty good," Rockwell pointed out. "It looks like it will still do pretty well over Thanksgiving."

The 10-day total for "Chamber of Secrets" reached $148.5 million, placing it 101st on the all-time domestic list ahead of "Gremlins." It will face major competition beginning Wednesday from Disney's opening of its animated "Treasure Planet."

New Line's opening of "Friday After Next," its third installment in the "Friday" comedy series starring Ice Cube, finished a distant but still quite respectable third with $13.1 million at 1,616 theaters.

"It looks as if they did a good job of finding their target audience," Rockwell noted.

Disney's fourth weekend of "The Santa Clause 2" continued to post solid numbers in fourth with $10.3 million to push its 24-day total to $95 million.

Universal's third weekend of "8 Mile" fell to fifth with $7.6 million at 2,585 locations as the rap drama lost 55 percent of its second weekend audience. "8 Mile" has taken in $97.7 million in 17 days with more than half coming from the $51.2 million it grossed during its first three days.

DreamWorks' sixth weekend of "The Ring" followed with $7.6 million at 2,628 theaters as the thriller declined only 30 percent from the fifth weekend. "The Ring" has totaled $110.9 million in 38 days.

Universal's limited opening of prep school drama "The Emperor's Club" came in seventh with $4.1 million at 809 theaters as the studio attempted to build on strong reviews and word-of-mouth among moviegoers in coming weeks. Universal said 81 percent of patrons were over 30 years of age, and 62 percent of them said they would definitely recommend "Club."

IFC's 32nd weekend of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" continued its impressive run with in eighth with $3.8 million at 1,586 theaters, declining only 19 percent from its 31st weekend and raising its total to $204.6 million. "Wedding" is now tied for 41st on the all-time list with "The Exorcist."

Sony's second weekend of "Half Past Dead" came in ninth with $3.3 million at 2,113 theaters as the Steven Segal action film fell 58 percent from its opening weekend. Rounding out the top 10 was Miramax's fifth weekend of "Frida" with $2.4 million at 794 theaters.

With "Die Another Day" and "Chamber of Secrets" combining for nearly $100 million, overall business was robust with the top 10 taking in close to $153 million or $15 million better than the same weekend last year when the second weekend of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" with $57.4 million. The comparison is impressive since last year's total was accumulated during the post-Thanksgiving weekend.

Year-to-date business for the movie industry is nearing $8 billion, or about 11 percent ahead of the same time last year, and the 2002 total looks likely to eclipse the $9 billion mark.

Studios will open four films Wednesday along with "Treasure Planet" -- 20th Century Fox's science-fiction adventure "Solaris," with George Clooney; Sony's animated Hanukkah-themed "Eight Crazy Nights"; Miramax's "Wes Craven Presents: They;" and Paramount's action-adventure "Extreme Ops."

On the art-house circuit, Focus Features' turned in strong numbers for its expanded run of "Far From Heaven" with $1.7 million at 259 theaters. United Artists' seventh weekend of "Bowling for Columbine" continued to perform well with $1.05 million at 244 sites to lift its total to $10.5 million after seven weeks. Artisan's second weekend of "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" took in $155,000 at 36 screens and Paramount Classics' second weekend of "The Way Home" grossed $31,400 at five theaters.

A pair of dramas posted strong openings -- Sony Classics' "Talk to Her," directed by Pedro Almadovar, grossed $105,000 at just two sites and Miramax's "The Quiet American," starring Michael Caine, grossed $111,000 at six theaters.