"The Golden Compass" proved a mild fantasy at the US box office,
pulling in US$26.1 million, a modest opening weekend compared to
such recent December heavyweights as "The Lord of the Rings" and
"The Chronicles of Narnia" flicks.
New Line Cinema's "The Golden Compass," whose cast includes
Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, also took in US$55 million overseas
since it began opening last Wednesday in 25 other countries.
Disney's "Enchanted," the No. 1 movie the previous two weekends,
fell to second-place with US$10.7 million, raising its total to
US$83.9 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
New Line, which had enormous success with its three "Lord of the
Rings" films, had hoped for more out of "The Golden Compass,"
expecting it to reach at least US$30 million domestically over its
first weekend, said Rolf Mittweg, the studio's marketing chief. The
film cost US$180 million to make.
"The Golden Compass" follows the adventures of an orphan girl
hurled into a parallel world of witches, strange flying machines
and talking polar bears.
Parents with children accounted for half of the film's audience,
so New Line is counting on family crowds that flock to theaters
over the holidays to keep the movie afloat, Mittweg said.
The three "Lord of the Rings" films released from 2001 to 2003
had opening weekends ranging from US$47.2 million to US$72.6
million. Disney's "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe" opened with US$65.6 million in 2005.
Those were based on very familiar fantasy literature from J.R.R.
Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, while "The Golden Compass" was adapted from
the first book of Philip Pullman's lesser-known "His Dark
Materials" trilogy.
Mittweg said he was uncertain about the effects of a backlash
against "The Golden Compass" by some Christians, who said Pullman's
books preach atheism.
(China Daily via Agencies December 10, 2007)
