Paramount Pictures has also upwardly revised it's original 3-day opening figures from the earlier-reported 23.6 to 24 million. The 3-day per-screen average was $9509.
"Not only have we found a sweet spot for our audience over this particular holiday weekend," noted Toffler, "we've also created a film that plays well beyond the MTV demo and to a wide swath of the filmgoing public."
"We knew from the beginning that we had a very special story about Ken Carter, and it is enormously gratifying to see that the audience feels the same way -- and the word-of-mouth is reflected in these fantastic numbers," said Gale.
Released by Paramount Pictures and co-produced with Tollin/Robbins Productions, "Coach Carter" opened in 2,524 theaters nationwide and is inspired by the true-life story of high school basketball coach, Ken Carter of Richmond, California. The film beat out other newcomers "Electra," "Racing Stripes" and "In Good Company" to grab the number one spot.
The film is supported by a soundtrack from Capitol Records and features 14 new songs from some of R&B and rap's hottest stars as well as numerous up-and-coming artists. The soundtrack's lead single, "Hope" teams Twista with Faith Evans. Other highlights include songs by triple Platinum rapper Chingy (featuring GIB) entitled "Professional" and a track from Red Cafe called "All Night Long."
Most recently, MTV Films co-presented "Napoleon Dynamite" alongside Fox Searchlight Pictures which proved to be the sleeper hit of Summer 2004. MTV Films will also be releasing two other films with a diverse and exciting complement of talent, including "The Longest Yard," produced with Happy Madison and starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock and "Aeon Flux," produced with Gale Anne Hurd's Valhalla Pictures, starring Academy Award(R)-winner Charlize Theron as the title character. Both movies are scheduled to be released in 2005.
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY MTV FILMS
