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Sink or 'Swim'
Well there wasn't much swimming this week or at least it felt that way.  it felt like the wintery and empty times at the multiplexes this week as the number one movie 'Swimfan' opened to only $12.4 million, sinking the summer releases and preparing us for the cold days to come.  by Mark Whipkey
Sure $12.4 million is not awful, but it is just a sign of what is to come.  From now until the holiday season, movie goers will be subjected to overbudgeted movies that will mostly fail to entertain, movies that will tug at our hearts trying to force us to feel for the characters they immortalize.  These are the movies that are so desperately wanting to be remembered come Oscar time, though most won't.

But don't lose hope for your source of entertainment these next few months, because it is worth noting that this month has brought such hits as Rush Hour, Double Jeopardy, Blue Streak and Remember the Titans in the past.  All but Blue Streak grossed over $100 million. 

Swimfan did indeed take the top spot this week, but it is not a big accomplishment for the film.  Although with the lack of competition in the given weeks, anything is possible.
Mrs. Christensen sits above water this week as she watches her competition sink to the bottom.
In the months of September and October movies have been known to stick around throughout the entire season and actually make alot of money.  So in the next two months a movie could open small, but later gain big. 

Swimfan takes the top spot with an opening of $12.4 million.  Truthfully this is not bad for a movie starring three unknowns, Erika Christensen, with Traffic as the only other big movie under her belt, Jesse Bradford who has starred in two forgettable movies Clockstoppers and Bring It On, and Shiri Appleby who makes her debut in this movie.  Second this week once again was My Big Fat Greek Wedding with another $10.5 million, now totaling $96 million on a budget of only $5 million.  In third was the only other opener this week, City by the Sea, with a dissappointing $9.1 million for Robert Deniro, who's last movie Showtime opened to $15 million, yet only made $37 million total.  So 2002 has not been kind to him.  Let's just hope that Analyze That will bring better things for Deniro come December when it opens.  Signs sank largely this week, falling from first to fourth this week with $8 million, down $9 million from last week, which tallies a total of $205.8 million so far.  XXX also sank this week rounding out the top five, showing signs of age as it grossed $5.5 million, down $8 million from last week, and finishing out the week with $131 million. 
This coming week we have two more openers who don't hold much worth.  It's all about gimics and gag laughs this month, as Barbershop starring Ice Cube and Cedric the Entertainer, and Stealing Harvard starring Tom Greene and Jason Lee, comes into theaters.  This week was originally supposed to be a three movie week, but at the last minute The Transporter was pulled from the lineup despite advertisements on the television preparing audiences for an opening on this week.  That movie looked to be this week's top draw with its raw fight scenes and in your face action. Now it will open in a week that already has six other openers and much more competition for it's October 11th release.  Bad Move.

Well don't expect big things this week.  These movies will probably, at best, bring in about what this past week's openers did.  It is even possible that the long running and climbing My Big Fat Greek Wedding may take the top spot.  The movie surely deserves a week at the number one spot since it is still around after opening on April 19 with The Scorpion King, which it has strangely enough surpassed The Rock's $90 million first starring role.
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