Wallace & Gromit a hit with families

Say “cheese,” Wallace and Gromit.

The feature debut for the Oscar-winning, fromage-loving inventor and his silent but expressive canine partner gave DreamWorks reason to smile, taking first prize in the nation’s theaters over the weekend as the studio reported an estimated $16.1 million for “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.”

Nick Park and Steve Box’s stop-motion animated movie lived up to industry expectations for its opening among a crowded field.

According to exit surveys, 68% of the audience for “Were-Rabbit” was families, and 75% of ticket buyers were over age 25, with slightly more females than males.

“This was done Saturday afternoon,” said James Tharp, head of distribution for DreamWorks, “so the numbers are skewed.”

“Flightplan” slipped to second place with about $10.8 million after two weekends at No. 1, bringing its total to an estimated $60.9 million, Disney reported.

Opening strongly at No. 5, “The Gospel,” a spiritually themed movie about a prodigal son that attracted a large African American audience, boasted the highest per-theater average among the top 10 titles. With $8,256 per theater in 969 locations, the Sony/Screen Gems movie that cost just $4 million to make grossed an estimated $8 million, Sony reported Sunday. Based on exit surveys, the film’s audience was 85% African American, 70% female and 70% ages 25 and older, according to Sony’s president of distribution, Rory Bruer.

“In Her Shoes,” the second-best performer among new releases in terms of its total, brought in an estimated $10 million to open at No. 3.

Demographic information for the chick-lit-based flick was not available, but Fox’s president of distribution, Bruce Snyder, said “In Her Shoes” got a 39% boost in business Saturday, which may suggest positive word of mouth.

The two remaining new wide releases, “Two for the Money” and “Waiting ...,” respectively, took in $8.4 million and $5.7 million for fourth and seventh places at the box office.

Opening in limited release, “Good Night, and Good Luck,” George Clooney’s historic drama starring David Strathairn as legendary broadcast newsman Edward R. Murrow averaged a solid $38,182 per theater in 11 locations for a total of $420,000, according to Steve Friedlander of Warner Independent Pictures.

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Box Office

Preliminary results (in millions) based on studio projections.

*--* Movie 3-day gross Total Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit $16.1 $16.1

Flightplan 10.8 60.9

In Her Shoes 10 10

Two for the Money 8.4 8.4

The Gospel 8 8

Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride 6.5 42.1

Waiting 5.7 5.7

A History of Violence 5.1 16.7

Serenity 4.9 17.6

Into the Blue 4.8 13.9 Source: Nielsen EDI, Inc. Los Angeles Times

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