Company Town Film Profit Report

This report is based on projections of total U.S. box-office gross from a consensus of industry sources and studio financial models. The U.S. returns represent only 20% of a film’s final revenue, which includes income from video, TV and overseas theatrical release. Typical industry marketing costs are factored into this profit analysis. Results for the weekend of June 30-July 4:

Highlights:

* “The Patriot” needs to hang on for the long haul in order to clear a profit for Sony. Overseas revenues will help, since Gibson is a bigger star in the international market.

* “Rocky and Bullwinkle” is another costly summer write-off.

* “The Perfect Storm” has all the earmarks of a hit, despite a price tag of at least $120 million. The effects-heavy saga should do well with action audiences overseas, and unlike Sony’s “The Patriot,” Warner Bros. didn’t give away major back-end participation on the film.

$$$ Mega-Moneymakers ($50 million or more in profit)

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Box- Estimated office cost, in Movie title Studio rank millions Mission: Impossible 2 Paramount 9 $100 Gladiator DreamWorks/Univ. 10 107 Big Momma’s House Fox 7 33

Projected U.S. box-office receipts, Movie title in millions Mission: Impossible 2 $210 Gladiator 175 Big Momma’s House 105

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$Moneymakers ($10 million or more in profit)

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Projected Box- Estimated U.S. box-office office cost, in receipts, Movie title Studio rank millions in millions The Perfect Storm Warner Bros. 1 $120 $150 Me, Myself & Irene Fox 4 51 90 Chicken Run Dreamworks SKG 3 45 85 Shaft Paramount 6 46 72

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?Tossups ($5 million in profit or loss)

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Projected Box- Estimated U.S. box-office office cost, in receipts, Movie title Studio rank millions in millions Dinosaur Buena Vista 11 $200 $140 The Patriot Sony 2 110 105 Gone in 60 Seconds Buena Vista 8 90 95 Boys and Girls Dimension 12 16 20

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Losers (more than $5 million in loss)

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Projected Box- Estimated U.S. box-office office cost, in receipts, Movie title Studio rank millions in millions Rocky and Bullwinkle Universal 5 $76 $28

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Notes: Cost estimates are for production only. Only half of box-office receipts come back to the studio.

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