SEBRING, June 18, 2008 – “Hulk crush competition in Sebring!”
We are not sure if The Hulk could yell that sentence, but he was the Highlands County Box Office Champ for the weekend of June 13-15.
The Incredible Hulk drew attendance of 1,545 at the Fairmount Cinema 6 to rank No. 1. It bested the No. 2 finisher, M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening, by more than 450 people. The Happening finished with 1,096 seats filled from Friday through Sunday at the Carmike Cinema 8.
Coming in third was last week’s champ, Kung Fu Panda, playing at the Fairmount. The delightful animated feature drew 1,013 viewers over the Father’s Day weekend. Finishing in fourth and still going strong at the Carmike was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It drew 622.
The rest of the pack finished in order:
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (Fairmount) – 396
Sex and the City (Carmike) – 215
The Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian (Carmike) – 150
SEBRING, June 16, 2008 – Father’s Day weekend was clobberin’ time, not for the Thing, but for The Incredible Hulk, which took the top spot for June 13-15 with a $55.4 million gross.
Kung Fu Panda dropped just over 40 percent, by film standards, not much of a decline, and earned $33.6 million and the No. 2 box office spot. It was the champ last week.
M. Night Shyamalan isn’t finished – yet. The idiosyncratic writer/director/producer’s The Happening grossed $30.5 million to claim the No. 3 spot in the mix. Fox only has to overcome a relatively modest $50 million budget plus promotional costs, something The Happening should be able to accomplish between its North American and worldwide release.
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan dropped a hefty 57.5% to earn $16.3 million. Adam Sandler may have a tough time getting his racy comedy to earn back its estimated $90 million plus budget.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull collected a healthy $14 million plus this past weekend to finish No. 5. Not only that, but at a total gross of $276.5 million, it is the third best earning Steven Spielberg film behind E.T. and Jurassic Park.
Rounding out the Top Ten in order were: Sex and the City (cumulative gross of $119.5 million), Iron Man (c.g. of $297.9 million), The Strangers, The Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian (c.g. of $131 million), and What Happens in Vegas, which has earned about three times what it cost to make, a tidy profit.
In Sebring, The Hulk, Kung Fu Panda, and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan play at the Fairmount Cinema 6. Indy, Narnia, Sexand the City, The Happening, and The Stranger play at the Carmike Cinema 8 at the Lakeshore Mall. Formovie showtimes, please go to the links on the RIGHT SIDEBAR.
M. Night Shyamalan, the genius behind The Sixth Sense and Signs, has spawned what appears to be a creepy thriller with supernatural implications. The Happening debuts today at the Carmike Cinema 8 at the Lakeshore Mall, one of two big openings.
Much of the public disliked Shyamalan’s turns with The Village and Lady of the Lake (I thought The Village was excellent), so this is his effort at regaining the filmgoer’s trust in him as a deep thinker of mysteries and creepiness. I have high hopes that he will succeed with The Happening. Shyamalan is so creative and nonstandard. I love it!
The other opener is Marvel Comics Group’s second stab at The Incredible Hulk. With a better cast, hopefully a better story and direction, and crossovers (Iron Man’s Robert Downey Jr. as billionaire Tony Stark), this time The Incredible Hulk may truly be incredible. It plays at the Fairmount Cinema 6.
Below are the trailers for the respective movies, then this article will continue. First, the trailer for The Happening:
Next up is the trailer for The Incredible Hulk:
Not only is this weekend a strong one for openers, but the powerhouse films should keep coming with Get Smart and Kit Kitteridge: an American Girl, Wall-E and Wanted, waiting in the wings to debut the next couple of weekends. SEBRING CINEMA AND SPORTS has you covered, and our local theaters will keep bringing the film fun.
Here’s the lineup for the Carmike:
The Happening – 2 theaters
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – 2 theaters
The Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian – 1 theater, day and night shows
The Strangers – 1 theater
The 13th Alley (a new scary movie about abnormal happenin’s at a bowling alley) – 1 theater
Sex and the City – 1 print being shown in Mugs ‘N’ Movies, so sit down, have a pitcher with the girls, and immerse yourself in the fantasy courtesy of the Carmike!
Here is the lineup for the Fairmount:
The Incredible Hulk – 1 1/2 theaters
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan – 1 1/2 theaters
Kung Fu Panda – 2 theaters
Then She Found Me (with Helen Hunt and Bette Midler) – 1 theater
Hulk and Zohan will actually split a theater, with Hulk getting 3 and 6:15 shows and Zohan getting a 9 o’ clock show.
FOR MOVIE SHOWTIMES, click on one of the appropriate links on the right sidebar under “Movie Showtimes.”
Sebring Cinema and Sports 