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[UbiSoftologist]

Source: CBS Marketwatch

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" led the U.S. box office this Memorial Day weekend, however, it wasn't enough to halt a 14-week slide in movie sales versus last year.

"Sith," the sixth and reportedly final installment in George Lucas' successful series, released by 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp. , took in $71 million this weekend, according to box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co. in Los Angeles.

"Madagascar," an animated tale of New York zoo animals who escape to the wild, produced by DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., earned $61 million over Memorial Day weekend.

"The Longest Yard," a remake of a 1974 film about a football game pitting prisoners against guards, backed by Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures and Sony Corp.'s Columbia Pictures, pulled in $60 million.

Memorial Day weekend is one of the most important of the year for the movie industry, setting the tone for the summer season to come.

The top 12 movies this weekend generated a total of $225 million in ticket sales, down from a record $239 million in 2004, Exhibitor Relations said. That's the 14th straight weekend this year that box-office receipts have lagged comparable revenues from 2004.

Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations, blamed the declines on the availability of other forms of entertainment, such as DVDs, and the fact that movie offerings in 2005 "haven't been as exciting as in recent years."

"Even though we're down 14 weekends in a row, the performance this weekend convinces me that we can get out of this box-office slump -- it just may take longer than people initially expected," he said. "If the right movies are out there, like 'Sith' and 'Madagascar,' then people will still come out in droves."

A strong Memorial Day weekend can bode well for the rest of the summer, partly because movie-goers will have seen previews for upcoming films and may be encouraged to come back to theaters, he added.

"Sith" has taken in $271 million in its first two weeks -- a bigger opening than the previous two Star Wars movies in the second trilogy, Dergarabedian said.

However, it has a way to go before topping the success of the first movie in the first trilogy: "Star Wars: Episode IV -- A New Hope." Released in 1977, that film has pulled in $461 million in box-office receipts, Dergarabedian said.

 

[jenov4]

That's some real insane numbers. I don't think the top 3 movies taking in $50million each has ever been done before right?

 

[Jim Bowie]

Wow, people are going to see Madagascar?

 

[UbiSoftologist]

Wow, people are going to see Madagascar?

:lol Well...I am... :lol

 

[Desperado]

the thing looks like garbage!!

ugh.

 

[J2 Cool]

That's some real insane numbers. I don't think the top 3 movies taking in $50million each has ever been done before right?

Well, they had 4 days. On the usual 3-day, you could almost gurantee one of em would be under 50. And Madagascar I have absolutely no trust for after the shit that was Shark's Tale. Dreamworks has always been a money first, movie later company. They're certainly no Pixar.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Did we need another weekend boxoffice thread?

 

[UbiSoftologist]

the thing looks like garbage!!

ugh.

And the story is weak according to most reviews...

 

[AB 101]

And the story is weak according to most reviews...

Ain't no Pixar movie, thats for sure.

 

[SteveMeister]

I saw Madagascar with my wife & her mother on Saturday. It's no Pixar movie, and it's no Shrek -- but it was cute. And according to my wife it was MUCH better than Shark Tale, which she said had absolutely no redeeming qualities. The kids in the audience seemed to love it.

 

[Phoenix]

If I would have gone to the movies this weekend, Madagascar was one of the films near the top of my list.

 

[Finaika]

I saw it last night and thought it was ok.

 

[AeroGod]

I would not pay 8 dollars to see the animated version of Ben Stiller bite the animated version of Chris Rock in the ass.

 

[Tazznum1]

I want to see it.

 

[reggieandTFE]

Madagascar is an....awful, awful movie. The computer graphics (except for the ocean) look like sub 1998 Pixar quality, the characters are lame and none are fleshed out in the least except the lion and zebra and any story progression/plot movement is absent because there were no credible enemies. Ughh...

 

[belgurdo]

Wake me up when someone makes a CG movie that isn't about funny animals/people/things or aping what Pixar does

 

[SteveMeister]

Madagascar is an....awful, awful movie. The computer graphics (except for the ocean) look like sub 1998 Pixar quality, the characters are lame and none are fleshed out in the least except the lion and zebra and any story progression/plot movement is absent because there were no credible enemies. Ughh...

Good God, it's a kid's movie. What'd you expect?

 

[Dan]

Dreamworks has no idea how to make a good animated film. They have one formula and it involves pop culture gags, high profile actors for voices, flatulence and talking animals. Both Shreks were awful, and there isn't a chance in hell I'll watch Shark Tale or Madagascar.

I really wish Aardman was set up with a different studio. I feel dirty supporting their films since Dreamworks Animation profits off it. I love Dreamworks prime, but Dreamworks Animation is an abomination. Its goal is seemingly to just produce crap and turn children into idiots. Unfortunately, other animated studios are going the same way (see the latest Chicken Little trailer...).

I really hope 2006 knocks some sense into these guys. I hope audiences revolt against this tripe, and hopefully to the better CGI films (if there are any... Cars at least). It's going to be a crowded year and the first time the competition really ramps up in a big way.

 

[UbiSoftologist]

Good God, it's a kid's movie. What'd you expect?

Pixar has set a high standard for the CG-movie industry.

 

[bob_arctor]

Good God, it's a kid's movie. What'd you expect?

Kid movies can be damn good.