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F.A.Q. |
The reports are in and despite a weaker than expected
opening, no matter how you look at it, Driven dominated
the box office for the weekend, opening in the number one spot.
Here are excerpts of what
various entertainment writers are saying on  :
Sunday April 29 2:58 PM ET
Stallone's 'Driven' a Box-Office Hit
By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Sylvester Stallone's car-racing
thriller ``Driven'' coasted to a first-place finish at
the weekend box office, debuting with $13.1 million.
``Driven'' bumped off ``Bridget Jones's Diary,''
which slipped to second place with $7.5 million in ticket sales,
according to studio estimates Sunday.
Three other new films - ``Town & Country,'' ``One
Night at McCool's'' and ``The Forsaken'' - had dismal openings.
``Driven'' reunited Stallone with director
Renny Harlin, who made ``Cliffhanger,'' Stallone's
last big hit in 1993. Most Stallone films since then have
been commercial flops, including ``Judge Dredd'' and ``Get
Carter.'' ``Cop Land'' opened at No. 1 in 1997 but
faded quickly.
``It's nice to see him back on top,'' said Dan Fellman,
head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released ``Driven.''
Sunday April 29 4:14 PM ET
Stallone Gets Checkered Flag at Box Office
By Dean Goodman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Sylvester Stallone
sped to box office glory on Sunday as ``Driven,'' the
race car thriller he wrote and co-starred in, opened in the top
position, according to studio estimates.
Amid a critical drubbing, Stallone's own fading
star power and a weak market overall, the film took in a modest
$13.1 million for the Friday-to-Sunday period.
Last weekend's champion, the female-targeted romantic
comedy ``Bridget Jones's Diary,'' slipped to No. 2 with
$7.5 million.
At the other end of the scale, the long-delayed Warren
Beatty marital infidelity comedy ``Town & Country,''
which reportedly cost upward of $90 million to make, opened at
No. 7 with just $3.1 million -- lower than the industry's diminished
expectations.
``Driven'' marks a reunion between Stallone
and Renny Harlin, the director of the 54-year-old actor's
last big hit, the 1993 mountaineering thriller ``Cliffhanger.''
In a nod to market reality, ``Driven'' revolves
around two gung-ho race drivers (Kip Pardue and German
actor Til Schweiger) who vie for the Championship Auto
Racing Team crown. Stallone, who originally wrote the
script with himself as the hero, takes a back seat, along with
co-star Burt Reynolds.
Stallone was ``thrilled'' with the film's debut,
said Dan Fellman, president of distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures,
also a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc. The audience for the film
was 60 percent male, and exit polling was strong, he added.
Entertainment E! Online
Sunday April 29 04:14 PM EDT
Sly Stallone's "Driven"
to Win
Driven showed Sylvester Stallone's star
power is not entirely exhausted. His thrills and spills race
car movie took the chequered flag, earning an estimated $13 million
as the nation's top attraction.
Driven, in which Sly plays a veteran
driver trying to make a comeback, is directed by Renny Harlin
who helmed the action star's last major hit Cliffhanger
back in 1993. The heavily promoted PG-13 rated Warners release
had a per screen average of $4,501 at 2,905 theaters.
Sylvester Stallone sped to box office glory
on April 29, 2001 "Driven," the race car thriller
he wrote and co-starred in, opened atop the box office rankings
according to studio estimates. (Reuters)
- Craig Zablo (April 29, 2001) |
D.Y.K.? |