Snakes Slithers to Tight Win

August 22, 2006 (Press Release) -- Snakes on a Plane bites, all right, but not in the way New Line had hoped. The much-hyped Samuel L. Jackson thriller had been projected to earn as much as $30 million in its opening weekend, but the profanity-spewing actor and his airliner full of reptiles could only eek out a relatively modest $15.25 million in ticket sales to finish first in this weekend's box-office race. Following closely behind: Will Ferrell's Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, which nearly dominated for a third week before finally settling in at number two with $14.1 million ($114.7 million total). In fact, Snakes' win comes only after the studio included ticket sales from early Thursday night screenings. "I think people were more excited about the marketing than the actual movie," says Exhibitor Relations president Paul Dergarabedian. "New Line did not set out to create this Internet buzz � that's actually a marketer's dream. But when marketing translates into awareness but does not inspire people to get out from behind their computers and into the theater, that's a problem." As for the rest of the top five, World Trade Center finished third with $10.8 million ($45 million for two weeks); the college comedy Accepted debuted in fourth with $10.1 million; and last week's number two, the teen dance drama Step Up, finished fifth with $9.9 million ($39.4 for two weeks).

Source: http://www.yahoo.com
Posted By Kimberly Potts