STAR WARS Can't Rescue Box Office

(From The USA Today -- By Scott Bowles)

Looks as if DARTH VADER was right -- the dark side is pretty powerful. It just wasn't strong enough to bring balance to the box office galaxy -- yet.

Despite breaking several box office records, SITH wasn't able to stop the box office slump -- but repeat viewings could change that.

STAR WARS: EPISODE III -- REVENGE OF THE SITH, GEORGE LUCAS' gloomy final installment of his space saga, shattered several box-office records on its way to a whopping $108.5 million weekend, according to estimates from NIELSEN EDI.

Though SITH did not break the record for biggest opening three-day weekend -- SPIDERMAN opened at $114.8 million in 2002 -- the film claimed other milestones. Boosted by midnight screenings Wednesday, SITH had the largest single-day opening with $50 million, eclipsing SHREK 2's $44.8 million. Its $158.5 million not only set the four-day record; it's also the most money over five days, nudging SPIDERMAN 2's $152.4 million five-day haul.

More important, the film satisfied most fans and critics, giving distributor 20TH CENTURY FOX hope for a long run. About 83% of the nation's critics gave the film a positive review, according to the survey site www.rottentomatoes.com.

"We're getting great response in every corner," FOX distribution chief BRUCE SNYDER says. "Fans are coming out and getting right back in line."

Strong word of mouth, analysts say, probably will propel the film past $400 million and could make it one of the five highest-grossing films ever.

"This was the movie we'd been waiting for," RONNIE McDANIELS, 22, said Saturday night after seeing the film for a third time at ARCLIGHT CINEMAS in Los Angeles. McDaniels says he will see SITH "at least twice more. This is the last STAR WARS. I want to say a long goodbye."

That won't be enough, however, to end the industry's three-month drought. Despite SITH's performance, overall ticket sales dropped 6% from the same weekend last year, the 13th straight weekend sales have lagged behind last year's pace.

"The slump continues," says PAUL DERGARABEDIAN of box office tracker EXHIBITOR RELATIONS. "The industry had pinned its hopes on STAR WARS, but it's going to take a lot of supporting movies to help break the snap."