ReturnoftheDragon

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Return of the 'Dragon'

October came in like a lion, or should I say 'Dragon', as Hannibal devoured his competition once again, opening with $37.5 million for the top spot this week. by Mark Whipkey

Back in 1986 a little movie called Manhunter started it all. It opened to $2.2 million and totaled $8.6 million. That movie, directed by Michael Mann(Ali, The Insider, Heat, Last of the Mohicans), was based ont the first novel, Red Dragon, in the Hannibal Lecter series from Thomas Harris's trilogy beginning with Red Dragon, then Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal. Manhunter did not have a high caliber cast so it did not get the big push for recognition. It starred Brian Cox as Hannibal, who will next be seen as the lead baddie in Xmen 2, and Television series CSI's William Petersen as the FBI agent Will Graham. After six years, movie studios realized they had a good story and villain that needed a revival. So with a fresh start and new cast The Silence of the Lambs was born, starring Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal and Jodie Foster as Agent Sterling. The movie scored an opening of $13.7 million at the box office, finished with a very pleasing $130.7 million and won best picture for 1991. So book one and two of the Hannibal series were acted out on film, so the final novel Hannibal, was only inevitably to be filmed as well. It was ten years later in 2001, but with Julianna Moore filling in for Jodie Foster, who left the film because of "creative differences", as Agent Sterling and returning Hannibal, Sir Anthony Hopkins. Hannibal opened with a record setting $58 million and finished with $165 million, the best numbers of the series yet.

So what do you do when you have a novel trilogy that spawns three movies and two of the three do well? You remake the one that didn't do so well. In this case it was Red Dragon's movie adaptation, Manhunter. With a little over a year since the last movie was put out, we now have the movie that is supposed to complete the series. Although Michael Mann has been very open about the fact that he enjoyed his original making of Red Dragon, when asked if he would redo the movie. He turned down a chance to remake his own movie. Instead the director's chair was handed to Brett Ratner, who has only directed the Rush Hour movies and The Family Man. It could be out of greed over Hannibal Lecter's success, that they decided to remake the original, or it could really be about the work, we will never know. So I guess now Manhunter is to be forgotten and possibly even erased from our memories. As long as it's entertaining it shouldn't matter how well it did at the box office.

Audiences flocked to the theaters this weekend to see Hannibal once again behind that familiar glass windows and stone walls, abandoned in Hannibal, that were made famous by Silence of the Lambs, you almost want to say where's Jodie Foster at? Red Dragon opened at number one and with $37.5 million this week. It was not enough to top Hannibal's $58 million, but it did beat Meet the Parents'

$33 million for the best October opening. In second was Sweet Home Alabama with another impressive $21.6 million, totaling $65.6 million. Third was The Tuxedo doing better as anticipated with another $10.1 million to finish the week with $28.1 million. Fourth was the movie that just doesn't quit, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, with $8.4 million for the week, now totaling $147.9 million, topping some of the summer movies. It now holds the record for the highest grossing independent film beating Blair Witch Project's $141 million. Finally in fifth was Barbershop with $6.8 million and onward to success with $60.1 million so far. Well it looks like this fall's movie lineup can be measured by this week's top five. Out all the movie's that opened from September to this first week in October, the top five movies this week are the only big hits.

A return to the original novel's title, instead of Manhunter, has
been more profitable for Hannibal Lecter this time around.

Next week looks to open most of this month's releases. Next week we have action with Vin Diesel in Knockaround Guys, The Transporter, drama with Michele Pfeiffer in White Oleander, James Van Der Beek and Jennifer Beals in The Rules of Attraction, Tuck Everlasting, romantic comedies with Taye Diggs in Brown Sugar, horror with Below, and independent films with Adam Sandler in a dark comedy called Punch Drunk Love. So that's eight new releases this coming week, although Hannibal does have the potential to be on top again next week.