In the widest test yet for the latest wave in 3-D cinema, the sword-and-sandals fantasy "Beowulf" got off to a promising -- but not eye-popping -- start at the box office over the weekend.
Director Robert Zemeckis' digitally animated epic, adapted from the classic Old English poem about a hero battling three generations of bizarre demons, met industry expectations by grossing $28.1 million in the U.S. and Canada, domestic distributor Paramount Pictures said Sunday.
Pulling in twice as much per screen at 3-D locations as at regular theaters, the heavily marketed film ranked No. 1 for the weekend, far ahead of the computer animated comedy "Bee Movie" and the crime thriller "American Gangster."
"This will do great work in terms of convincing exhibitors that they should be investing in 3-D technology," said Rob Moore, Paramount's president of worldwide marketing and distribution.
Only about 20% of the auditoriums showing "Beowulf" were equipped with 3-D but they accounted for 40% of the grosses, Moore said.
With no other 3-D films in the pipeline until 2008, "Beowulf" could end up hauling in the majority of its revenue in the special format by the end of its run, he said. Hollywood films tend to last longer at theaters in 3-D thanks to higher attendance and ticket prices.
Starring Ray Winstone as the boastful warrior Beowulf, Crispin Glover as the grotesque demon Grendel and Angelina Jolie as Grendel's evil and seductive mother, the PG-13 picture was created using the "performance capture" technique Zemeckis pioneered with 2004's "The Polar Express." It blends filmed performances with digital animation and special effects to create an unusual look that some call dazzling and others dismiss as creepy.
Stephen Bing's Shangri-La Entertainment financed about two-thirds of the $160-million production and Paramount one-third. The film is being handled internationally by distribution partner Warner Bros.
Half of the opening weekend ticket buyers were over age 25 and three-fifths were male, Paramount said. Although pre-release "tracking" polls had indicated scant interest among older females, Moore said the crowd was "reasonably" balanced for a movie in the action genre.
Because of its hefty cost, including tens of millions in marketing, the movie will need to hold up well domestically and roll out strongly overseas to be considered a financial success.
