Thankfully - for romance fans - there were quite a few good romantic films released during the Summer of 2001. Now that Fall is around the corner, here's a recap of how some of the Summer's romances did during their opening weekends:
"America's Sweethearts"
Sony/Revolution's romantic comedy, "America's Sweethearts" finished in 2nd place during its opening weekend with a respectable $31 million. "America's Sweethearts" ran in 3,011 theaters and averaged $10,296.
"American Pie 2"
Universal Pictures' "American Pie 2," the eagerly anticipated sequel to 1999's surprise comedy hit, served up a first place opening this past weekend, grossing $45.1 million at 3,063 theaters, with a tasty per-theater average of $14,730. The opening established a new record for an R-rated comedy, which was previously set by "Scary Movie" ($42.3 million), and marked the second best opening for any R-rated film, following "Hannibal" ($58 million). It was the third biggest opening for any comedy, following "Rush Hour 2" ($67.4 million) and "Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me" ($54.9 million). It also established a record for the second weekend in August, and marked the second biggest opening for any August release, following "Rush Hour 2."
"Bubble Boy"
The controversy surrounding "Bubble Boy" may have affected its box office revenue. "Bubble Boy" grossed just $2 million while playing at 1,605 theaters.
"Captain Corelli's Mandolin"
Universal's "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" starring Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz grossed just $7.1 million. Playing in 1,594 theaters, "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" earned an average per-theater of $4,462.
"crazy/beautiful"
Kirsten Dunst broke out of her bubbly cheerleader-type roles for a more dramatic turn in Touchstone's "crazy/beautiful." "crazy/beautiful" grossed $4.5 million at 1,600 theaters, with a per-theater average of $2,811. Apparently audiences prefer Dunst in more upbeat films.
"Curse of the Jade Scorpion"
Dreamworks released "Curse of the Jade Scorpion" on a limited basis (903 theaters). Woody Allen wrote, directed and starred in this romantic comedy that grossed $2.4 million.
"Legally Blonde"
MGM's "Legally Blonde" finished in 1st place during its opening weekend. "Legally Blonde" grossed $20.4 million while playing at 2,620 theaters, earning a per-theater average of $7,767.
"Moulin Rouge"
Baz Luhrmann's musical extravaganza starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor debuted on 2,279 screens and grossed $13.7 during its opening weekend.
"The Musketeer"
Universal Pictures' "The Musketeer" debuted in first place during its opening weekend, capturing $10.7 million at 2,438 locations with an average per-theater of $4,389.
"O"
Lions Gate Films' "O," starring Julia Stiles, Mekhi Phifer, Josh Hartnett and Martin Sheen, opened to a $6.9 million four-day total at the box office and pulled down over $4,800 per screen, the second highest per screen average of the weekend. The opening was Lions Gate's 2nd largest ever behind "Dogma."
"Original Sin"
The sexy, romantic thriller starring Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas grossed $6.4 million while playing at 2,194 theaters. MGM's "Original Sin" averaged $2,917 per-theater.
"Pearl Harbor"
Boasting the largest budget to ever get greenlit, Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor" captured $75.1 million during its opening weekend, while being screened at 3,214 theaters. The average per-theater for "Pearl Harbor's" opening weekend was $23,367.
"Rock Star"
Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston provided the romance in "Rock Star," from Warner Bros. "Rock Star" opened in 3rd place, grossing $6.2 million from 2,525 locations with an average per-theater of $2,384.
"Summer Catch"
The Freddie Prinze Jr. romantic baseball movie managed to gross $7.5 million while appearing at 2,335 theaters. Warner Bros.' "Summer Catch" debuted in 6th place, and averaged $3,227 per-theater.
"Two Can Play That Game"
Opening up against "The Musketeer" and "Rock Star," Sony/Screen Gems' "Two Can Play That Game" collected $8.3 million in gross at 1,297 theaters with an average of $6,399 per theater.
