Question: Plunging Box Office Reports

[Monique]

> 
> What do you all make of the plunging box office receipts for Harry 
> Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States?  I 
>anticipated the movie would be making far more at this time than it 
>has.  Box office reports for this weekend are indicating bigger drop-
>offs than initially expected. 
> 

I think you're over-stating a bit. Granted, the 58% drop-off is
significant and is a sign of vulnerablity, but there are mitigating
factors. 

The Thanksgiving Day weekend is notorious for huge B.O. numbers,
just as the weekend following is notorious for low numbers. So
the drop-off is somewhat expected. It was sharp, however.

That aside, Harry Potter did manage to retain the crown for a
third weekend and is the second fastest film ever (behind only 
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace) to reach the $200 million mark.

Not too shabby really.

Although, I personally expect Lord of the Rings to eclipse Phantom
Menace's record and put Harry in 3rd. We'll find out soon enough.

-Monique