'Fockers' set to meet another weekend title
{{byline|date=December 31, 2004|location=U.S. and Canada}} With no new competition to speak of, last week's Hollywood fare is set to once again dominate North American Box office receipts over the New Year holiday.

Of the new films opening this weekend, Lions Gate's ''A Love Song for Bobby Long'' will have the widest release, playing in eight theatres in Los Angeles and New York. Other openers include ThinkFilm's ''The Assassination of Richard Nixon'', starring [[w:Sean Penn|Sean Penn]] and Sony Pictures Classics ''William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice'' with [[W:Al Pacino|Al Pacino]] and [[w:Jeremy Irons|Jeremy Irons]], both of which will be playing in four venues in New York and Los Angeles.

To be considered in wide release, a film must open or play in at least 1,000 theatres throughout the U.S. and Canada. The lack of any new wide release competition Friday almost ensures that the last week's slate of films will benefit at the box office.

The most likely contender for top-money maker is Universal Studios' ''[[w:Meet the Fockers|Meet the Fockers]]'', the sequel to 200's ''[[w:Meet the Parents|Meet the Parents]]'' starring Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand. That movie raked in $44.7 million over the Christmas weekend and a total of #108.5 million as of Dec. 29, according to Box Office Mojo.

''Fockers'' is being shown in 3,524 venues over the New Year weekend, six more than last week, making it the second-widest released film for the weekend. Only the Jim Carrey family comedy ''Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events'' with 3,623 venues has a wider release.

==Wide release films for the weekend of Dec. 31==
The following films will be playing in at least 1,000 U.S. and Canada venues:

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{| border="1"
|+ valign=bottom align=left| ''Source: Box Office Mojo''
!style="background:#9FCC9F;"| '''Rank'''
!style="background:#9FCC9F;"| '''Title'''
!style="background:#9FCC9F;"| '''Studio/Distributor'''
!style="background:#9FCC9F;"| '''Theatre Count'''
!style="background:#9FCC9F;"| '''Change'''
|-
| 1. || ''Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events'' || Paramount || 3,623 || 0  
|-
| 2. || ''Meet the Fockers'' || Universal || 3,524 || +6  
|-
| 3. || ''Ocean's Twelve'' || Warner Bros.|| 3,290 || 0  
|-
| 4. || ''Fat Albert'' || 20th Century Fox|| 2,744 || +70  
|-
| 5. || ''The Polar Express'' || Warner Bros. || 2,513 || -105  
|-
| 6. || ''Spanglish'' || Columbia || 2,489 || +48  
|-
| 7. || ''The Flight of the Phoenix'' || 20th Century Fox|| 2,373 || -231  
|-
| 8. || ''National Treasure'' || Touchstone || 2,282 || +81  
|-
| 9. || ''Blade: Trinity'' || New Line|| 2,207 || -111 
|-
| 10. || ''Christmas with the Kranks'' || Revolution Studios|| 1,825 || -310 
|-
| 11. || ''The Aviator'' || Mirimax || 1,796 || 0 
|-
| 12. || ''Darkness'' || Dimension || 1,718 || +18 
|-
| 13. || ''The Incredibles'' || Disney/Pixar || 1,715 || -17 
|-
| 14. || ''The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou'' || Touchstone || 1,105 || 0 
|-
| 15. || ''Closer'' || Columbia || 1,094 || +25 
|-
| 16. || ''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'' || Paramount || 1,068 || -248 
|-
| 17. || ''Finding Neverland'' || Miramax || 1,054|| +121 
|-
|}

==See also==
[[Movie listings (United States)|Movie listings for the United States]]

==Sources==
*[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/counts/ Box Office Mojo Theatre Count]
*{{source|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2004/12/31/2003217502 |title=`Fockers' tops the box office at year's end |author= |pub=The Taipei Times |date=Page 16, Dec. 31}}

 
{{archive}}
[[Category:Film]]
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:Culture and entertainment]]
[[Category:Published]]
With no new competition to speak of, last week's Hollywood fare is set to once again dominate North American Box office receipts over the New Year holiday.

Of the new films opening this weekend, Lions Gate's A Love Song for Bobby Long will have the widest release, playing in eight theatres in Los Angeles and New York. Other openers include ThinkFilm's The Assassination of Richard Nixon, starring Sean Penn and Sony Pictures Classics William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice with Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons, both of which will be playing in four venues in New York and Los Angeles.

To be considered in wide release, a film must open or play in at least 1,000 theatres throughout the U.S. and Canada. The lack of any new wide release competition Friday almost ensures that the last week's slate of films will benefit at the box office.

The most likely contender for top-money maker is Universal Studios' Meet the Fockers, the sequel to 200's Meet the Parents starring Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand. That movie raked in $44.7 million over the Christmas weekend and a total of #108.5 million as of Dec. 29, according to Box Office Mojo.

Fockers is being shown in 3,524 venues over the New Year weekend, six more than last week, making it the second-widest released film for the weekend. Only the Jim Carrey family comedy Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events with 3,623 venues has a wider release.


 Source: Box Office Mojo

 'Rank'

 'Title'

 'Studio/Distributor'

 'Theatre Count'

 'Change'

 1. 

 Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events 

 Paramount 

 3,623 

 0  

 2. 

 Meet the Fockers 

 Universal 

 3,524 

 +6  

 3. 

 Ocean's Twelve 

 Warner Bros.

 3,290 

 0  

 4. 

 Fat Albert 

 20th Century Fox

 2,744 

 +70  

 5. 

 The Polar Express 

 Warner Bros. 

 2,513 

 -105  

 6. 

 Spanglish 

 Columbia 

 2,489 

 +48  

 7. 

 The Flight of the Phoenix 

 20th Century Fox

 2,373 

 -231  

 8. 

 National Treasure 

 Touchstone 

 2,282 

 +81  

 9. 

 Blade: Trinity 

 New Line

 2,207 

 -111 

 10. 

 Christmas with the Kranks 

 Revolution Studios

 1,825 

 -310 

 11. 

 The Aviator 

 Mirimax 

 1,796 

 0 

 12. 

 Darkness 

 Dimension 

 1,718 

 +18 

 13. 

 The Incredibles 

 Disney/Pixar 

 1,715 

 -17 

 14. 

 The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou 

 Touchstone 

 1,105 

 0 

 15. 

 Closer 

 Columbia 

 1,094 

 +25 

 16. 

 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 

 Paramount 

 1,068 

 -248 

 17. 

 Finding Neverland 

 Miramax 

 1,054

 +121
Film United States Culture and entertainment Published