SUBMITTED BY Scooby
May 11, 2001 — According to Box Office analysts (who knew there was such a thing):
After The Mummy Returns grossed a huge $68.1 million last weekend, it may seem A Knight's Tale, which opens today, will be tilting at windmills at the box office this weekend.
But the battle could be closer than expected. Historically, films released the weekend after a blockbuster's opening have performed very well.
Chris Rock's comedy Down to Earth, for example, grossed $20 million the weekend after Hannibal had a $58.3 million debut, and Tarzan brought in $34.2 million the weekend following Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me opened at $57.4 million.
"There is plenty of room for A Knight's Tale," says Dan Marks, box office analyst for ACNielsen EDI. "It looks good for its demographic, and it'll open well."
Still, executives for Tale distributor Columbia Pictures don't expect the action/comedy starring Heath Ledger to beat The Mummy.
"We won't be No. 1," says the studio's marketing and distribution chief, Jeff Blake. "But (The Mummy) has energized the moviegoing crowd." Knight's advantage, Blake says, is it's more of a date film than Mummy.
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