“Ghost Rider” Tops Hollywood On Oscar Sunday
Posted February 25, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
“Ghost Rider” won’t be winning any Academy Awards when the show’s 79th edition goes live from Los Angeles Sunday night, but Nicholas Cage’s comic book adaptation still holds the title of number one movie in North America after a second-week haul of $19.7 million.
The Sony film starring Cage as a motorcycle stuntman turned Satanic bounty hunter continued its momentum after debuting last week with $52 million over the four-day President’s Day weekend, the biggest opening ever for the U.S. holiday.
“It set the bar so high last weekend that for any newcomers, it was going to be real tough film to beat,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.
“Ghost Rider” is based on the Marvel Comic books about motorcycle stunt driver Johnny Blaze, who sells his soul to the devil and gains fiery superpowers.
The film fought off a few newcomers, including a $15.1 million debut from New Line Cinema psychological thriller “The Number 23,” which stars Jim Carrey as a man obsessed with the mysterious power of the figure.
Other debuts included 20th Century Fox police spoof “ Reno 911!: Miami ,” which opened in fourth with $10.4 million and “The Astronaut Farmer,” which debuted at nine with $4.5 million.
Children’s fantasy “Bridge To Terebithia,” slipped to third place with $13.6 million, while Eddie Murphy comedy “Norbit” rounded out the top five with $9.7 million.
But it was “Ghost Rider” lifting Hollywood out of its box-office slump for the second straight week.
The top-12 movies grossed $101.8 million, up 1.5 per cent from the same weekend last year, even though movie attendance this year is down 2.2 per cent.
“It’s an accessible movie to everyone,” said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. “Not only does it have action and special effects, it also has a tremendous sense of humour to it.”
Here’s the rest of the weekend’s top 10, with all figures estimated according to Media By Numbers LLC.
1. “Ghost Rider,” $19.7 million.
2. “The Number 23,” $15.1 million.
3. “Bridge to Terabithia,” $13.6 million.
4. “ Reno 911!: Miami ” $10.4 million.
5. “Norbit,” $9.7 million.
6. “Music & Lyrics,” $8 million.
7. “Breach,” $6.2 million
8. “Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls, $5.3 million.
9. “The Astronaut Farmer,” $4.5 million.
10. “Amazing Grace,” $4.3 million.
