There’s always next year. Although box office sales, at $3.3 billion, were up 4% from last summer, the pace isn’t matching last year’s overall annual record-setting 11.5% jump.
So maybe it’s not all about sequels. The Matrix: Reloaded and X2: X-Men United managed to bring home more than $200 million, but others, such as Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, did not perform as well as their originals.
But the future seems brighter for films on deck in 2004, including Parmount’s The Stepford Wives and The Bourne Supremacy. DreamWorks’ Shrek 2 kicks off Memorial Day weekend and hopes to break the 2001 film’s $267 million run. Down the road, Sony’s Spider-Man 2 is thus far dominating the July 2 opening weekend. Spidey took in $404 million in 2002 and few seem willing to go up against it.
Next year has its share of science-fiction thrillers. Fox’s I, Robot, is based on a book by Isaac Asimov, Warner Bros.’ A Sound of Thunder is adapted from a Ray Bradbury short story — and even Vin Diesel has his own sci-fi flick in Universal’s The Chronicles of Riddick.
Meanwhile, the pressure for strong opening-weekend box office sales has never been greater as the post-opening drop off becomes steeper. The average decline from opening weekend to second weekend increased 4% to 50%. For brands looking for a theatrical tie-in, it’s important to think ahead and have campaigns timed to begin even earlier. To get started, check out PROMO’s Entertainment Property Preview.
Films are given in chronological order according to information provided by the studios. And as always, remember this is show business and all items from release dates to casts to property names are subject to change. Studio contacts are posted for easy reference.
THEATRICAL RELEASES
First Quarter 2004
Untitled Mandy Moore Project
Mandy Moore, Jeremy Piven Jan. 7, Warner Bros.
A coming-of-age story about an 18-year-old girl who leads a normal life — except that her father is the president of the United States.
The Perfect Score
Erika Christensen, Darrius Miles Jan. 16, Paramount Pictures
Six enterprising high school students combine brainpower to cheat on the SATs.
Torque
Ice Cube, Jay Hernandez Jan. 16, Warner Bros.
From the producer of Fast and the Furious, a story of a biker who returns to his hometown to reunite with his girlfriend and is framed for a murder he didn’t commit.
The Butterfly Effect
Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart Feb. 6, New Line
A thriller about a guy who can travel back to his childhood, each time changing his current life.
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
Diego Luna, Romola Garai, Sela Ward
Feb. 13, Artisan Entertainment
A remake of the 1987 hit Dirty Dancing.
Barbershop 2
Ice Cube, Eve, Queen Latifah February, MGM
The barbershop featured in the 2002 film gets some competition when an upscale salon opens next door.
Starsky & Hutch
Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Snoop Dogg March 5, Warner Bros.
A comedy exploring how the crime-fighting duo first met in the 1970s.
Agent Cody Banks 2
Frankie Muniz, Anthony Anderson March 12, MGM
Sequel to the 2003 film.
The Prince and Me
Julia Stiles, Luke Mably March 12, Paramount Pictures
A Midwestern college senior with a firm career path falls for a prince from Denmark and must decide between her plans and a royal life.
Jersey Girl
Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Liv Tyler March 19, Miramax Films
A successful music publicist falls for a book editor and a whirlwind romance ensues.
Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Linda Cardellini March 26, Warner Bros.
Scooby and gang face a villain plotting to take over the city of Coolsville.
Eulogy
Ray Romano, Debra Winger, Kelly Preston March, Artisan Entertainment
A dark comedy about three generations of one family who convene for the funeral of their patriarch and unearth many secrets.
Birth
Nicole Kidman, Anne Heche New Line Cinema
A widow is ready to remarry…when letters from her dead husband begin to arrive.
Anchorman
Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate DreamWorks
Live-action comedy exploring gender discrimination in a 1970s newsroom.
Untitled Montecito Project
Michelle Trachtenberg, Lucy Lawless DreamWorks
Live-action comedy about a high school student who treks to Europe to find his German pen pal, who happens to be a good-looking young woman.
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton
Kate Bosworth, Nathan Lane DreamWorks
A grocery bagger from West Virginia dukes it out with a Hollywood movie star over the heart of a small-town girl.
Second Quarter
Envy
Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Christopher Walken April 2, DreamWorks
Live-action comedy about one guy’s hare-brained invention which pits neighbor against neighbor.
Hellboy
Ron Perlman, Selma Blair April 2, Columbia Pictures
Dark Horse Comics’ superhero who is born in hell and brought to Earth through a pagan ritual gets to know new pals such as Mer-Man and a woman who controls fire.
A Sound of Thunder
Ed Burns, Catherine McCormack, Sir Ben Kingsley
April 23, Warner Bros.
A look into the future — based on a short story by science fiction writer Ray Bradbury — when time travel is a lucrative monopoly
Ella Enchanted
Anne Hathaway, Minnie Driver April 23, Miramax Films
A Cinderella-like tale set in a medieval fantasy world about a girl given the gift of obedience at birth who can’t refuse demands.
The Punisher
John Travolta, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos April, Artisan
A live-action film from a Marvel Comics’ series about an undercover FBI agent out to eradicate all crime from America as payback for the Mafia killing his family.
New York Minute
Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen, Eugene Levy May 7, Warner Bros.
A set of twins leave their Long Island home for an adventurous day in New York City.
Van Helsing
Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale May 7, Universal Pictures
Set in the late 19th century, monster hunter Dr. Abraham Van Helsing is summoned to a mysterious land in East Europe to battle Count Dracula, the Wolf Man and Frankenstein’s Monster.
World of Tomorrow
Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow May 14, Paramount Pictures
This science fiction adventure set in the 1930s starts as a reporter discovers that a crazy scientist is trying to destroy the world.
Shrek 2
Voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy May 21, DreamWorks
Animated feature about the infamous green ogre facing a new challenge: the in-laws.
The Chronicles of Riddick
Vin Diesel, Thandie Newton June 11, Universal Pictures
A science fiction live-action film starring Vin Diesel.
The Stepford Wives
Nicole Kidman, Glenn Close June 11, Paramount Pictures
An adaptation of the 1975 film about a young couple who moves to a rich suburb in Connecticut and discovers the men there are replacing their wives with robots.
Garfield
Jennifer Love Hewitt, Breckin Meyer, voice of Billy Murray June 18, Twentieth Century Fox
America’s laziest feline’s world is thrown upside down when his owner adopts a dog in the live action/CGI.
Cellular
Kim Bassinger, Chris Evans New Line Cinema
A kidnapped woman manages to make contact with a stranger via a cell phone in this action thriller.
Third Quarter
Spider-Man 2
Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst July 2, Columbia Pictures
The sequel chronicles Peter Parker’s struggle with his past and his affection for next-door neighbor Mary Jane.
A Cinderella Story
Hilary Duff, Jennifer Coolidge July 16, Warner Bros.
A modern-day take on Cinderella — this time, the stepdaughter meets her Prince Charming on the Internet.
I, Robot
Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan July 16, Twentieth Century Fox
A thriller adapted from a short story collection by Isaac Asimov about a detective investigating a crime possibly perpetrated by a robot.
Catwoman
Halle Berry July 30, Warner Bros.
Oscar-winner Berry stars as a cat-lover who works by day and battles evil at night in this live-action.
Thunderbirds
Sir Ben Kingsley, Bill Paxton, Anthony Edwards July, Universal Pictures
A live-action based on the British 1964-1966 TV series of the same name.
The Bourne Supremacy
Matt Damon July, Universal Pictures
An espionage thriller based on the 1986 eponymous novel, which forms the middle third of The Bourne Trilogy by Robert Ludlum.
Alien Versus Predator
Aug. 6, Twentieth Century Fox
Monsters from Fox’s Alien and Predator face off against each other on Earth.
Yu-Gi-Oh!
Aug. 13, Warner Bros.
The cartoon is brought to the big screen in an animated film.
Blade Trinity
Wesley Snipes February, New Line Cinema
The third installment in the Blade live-action franchise.
Shall We Dance
Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon August, Dimension Films
A remake of the Japanese comedy about a conservative family man who rediscovers the passion and love in his life through ballroom dancing.
Monster-in-Law
Jennifer Lopez New Line Cinema
Comedy about a professional dog walker who finds the right man with the wrong parents.
Mean Girls
Lindsay Lohan Paramount Pictures
A home-schooled girl realizes the social order of a public high school in this comedy.
The Notebook
Ryan Gosling New Line Cinema
Romantic drama based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks.
Fourth Quarter
Sharkslayer
Voices of Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro Oct. 1, DreamWorks
A fast-talking little fish finds himself in hot water when he is mistaken for a hero in this animated feature.
The Polar Express
Tom Hanks, Nona Gaye Nov. 10, Warner Bros.
A CGI film based on the children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg about a young boy who takes a train ride to the North Pole.
The Brothers Grimm
Matt Damon, Heath Ledger November, Dimension Films
German fairy tale authors Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are cast as traveling spellbusters, claiming to protect European townsfolk from enchanted creatures and staging fake exorcisms until they come face to face with a real magical curse.
Sahara
Matthew McConaughey Fall, Paramount Pictures
The star of Clive Cussler’s popular action/adventure novels races to save the world from an environmental catastrophe amidst the Sahara desert.
Fantastic Four
Dec. 24, Twentieth Century Fox
Marvel Comics’ superhero team comes to the big screen.
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
Jim Carrey December, Paramount Pictures
An adaptation of the three books in the children’s series.
After the Sunset
Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek New Line Cinema
A bored, retired jewel thief gets involved in a new heist aboard a docked cruise ship.
Bewitched
Columbia Pictures
When a beautiful young witch comes to Earth to mingle with mortals, she is cast in a sitcom playing a witch posing as a suburban housewife.
J.M. Barrie’s Neverland
Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie Miramax Films
Playwright J.M. Barrie defies the conventions of Edwardian London to act as a surrogate father and husband to a widow and her four sons, a relationship which results in the creation of Peter Pan.
Solace
New Line Cinema
An FBI consultant with the ability to predict what strangers will do is the centerpiece of this psychological thriller.
2004 TBA
Bridget Jones’ Diary: The Edge of Reason
Renee Zelleweger Universal Pictures
Sequel to the 2001 hit.
Mission Impossible 3
Tom Cruise Paramount Pictures
The third in a series of movies based upon the 1960’s TV series, following 1996’s Mission: Impossible and 2000’s Mission: Impossible 2.
Underclassman
Nick Cannon Miramax Films
A young, hot-headed cop goes undercover to investigate drug trafficking on a high school campus in this action film.
HOME VIDEO
First Quarter
The Fighting Temptations
Cuba Gooding Jr. Feb. 17, Paramount Pictures
A New York advertising executive travels to a small Southern town to collect an inheritance — and as stipulated in the will, creates a gospel choir and leads it to success.
Duplex
Drew Barrymore, Ben Stiller March, Miramax Films
A young New York couple settles into their new home by bumping off the old lady living upstairs.
School of Rock
Jack Black March, Paramount Pictures
Fired from his band, a rock guitarist and vocalist takes a job as a 4th grade substitute teacher at an uptight private school where his laidback lifestyle soon influences the students to explore other sides of themselves the school doesn’t encourage.
Spy Kids 3D: Game Over
Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Antonio Banderas March, Dimension Films
The kid super sleuths return for another adventure.
NBA All-Star Release
Warner Bros.
Highlights of the season.
NFL Fantasy Preview 2004
Warner Home Video
NFL experts Ron Jawarski and Spencer Tillman team up with NFL Fantasy analysts to bring fantasy draft picks alive with the help of NFL Films’ cinematographers.
NFL Super Bowl XXXVIII
Warner Home Video
Highlights from the regular season, playoffs and the Super Bowl.
Second Quarter
Looney Tunes Back in Action
Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Timothy Dalton, Heather Locklear Warner Home Video
Set in a live-action world where Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and other animated creatures interact with human characters, the story unfolds on the studio backlot and careens all over the map in Looney Tunes style.
NBA Playoff Release
Warner Home Video
Highlights from the playoff games.
Timeline
April, Paramount
Based on the international best-selling novel by Michael Crichton comes a tale of hi-tech chivalry and timeless adventure.
Paycheck
May, Paramount
Based on the short story by science fiction author Phillip K. Dick, the tale of man who awakes to find that last two years of his life are missing.
The Perfect Score
June (See p. 30)
A Snoodle’s Tale
May 18, Big Idea Productions
The latest in the VeggieTales animated adventures of Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber.
Scary Movie 3
Anna Faris, Charlie Sheen Dimension Films
The third installment in the spoof series.
Third Quarter
Strawberry Shortcake’s Animal Tales
August, DIC Entertainment
Strawberry’s pampered cat Custard has to adapt to a new puppy in the household.
Strawberry Shortcake’s Pony Tales
August, DIC Entertainment
Strawberry’s pony is feeling left out of the kids play so she takes him to an ice cream island.
The Prince and Me
August (See p. 31)
The Butterfly Effect
Summer (See p. 30)
NBA Championship Release
Warner Home Video
Highlights from the regular season, playoffs and the NBA Finals.
NHL Stanley Cup Release
Warner Home Video
Highlights from the regular season, playoffs and the final series.
NFL Greats Set
Warner Home Video
Season Highlights.
Fourth Quarter
After the Sunset (See p. 34)
Birth (See p. 31)
Cellular (See p. 32)
Garfield
November (See p. 32)
I, Robot
November (See p. 32)
Monster-in-Law (See p. 32)
NFL Greatest Set
Warner Home Video Watch the most memorable games of the NFL season. Complete with highlights of the best games and plays.
The Notebook (See p. 32)
Peanuts: I Want A Dog For Christmas
Paramount
A Christmas story revolving around the younger brother of Linus and Lucy, ReRun.
PROPERTY CONTACTS
Artisan Entertainment: LeAnne Gayner, senior VP-theatrical marketing, 310-255-3857, [email protected]
Big Idea Productions/DIC Entertainment: Anne Groben, president of Anne Groben and Associates, 214-824-7647, [email protected]
Columbia Pictures: George Leon, executive VP-global promotions and product placement, 310-244-5456, [email protected]
DreamWorks: Wendy Ryding, head of national promotions, 818.695.9731, [email protected]
MGM: Mary Goss Robino, senior VP-worldwide promotions, 310-449-3345, [email protected]
Miramax Films: Lori Sale, executive VP-worldwide promotions, 323-822-4137, [email protected]
New Line Cinema: Valerie Pappas, VP-national promotions, 310-967-6563, [email protected]
Lance Still, executive director of promotions, New Line Home Entertainment, 310-967-6947, [email protected]
Paramount Pictures: Lisa DiMarzio, senior VP-worldwide marketing partnerships, 323-956-5377, [email protected]
Shirley Richter, director of promotions for home entertainment, 323-956-3740, [email protected]
Twentieth Century Fox: Rita Prosyak, VP-feature film promotions, 310-379-3125, [email protected]
Universal Pictures: Kristin Patrick Petersen, senior VP-national promotions, 818-777-1803, [email protected] Kelli Gilbert, executive director of integrated marketing for Home Entertainment, 310-369-8435, [email protected]
Warner Bros.: Louise Soper, director of national promotions, 818-954-6167, [email protected] Mimi Slavin, VP-promotions for home entertainment, 818-977-5265, [email protected].
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