It's not often you see "poor Russell Crowe and Paul Haggis" written in a sentence, but there you go. Faced with the guaranteed blockbusting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I (which grossed $24 million from its midnight screenings; a not-quite-Twilight-ian amount), Crowe and Haggis will likely see their thriller, The Next Three Days, fall by the wayside at the box office. Thankfully, though, they aren't alone in trying to scale Mt. Potter. Ahead, Movieline remembers the six other films that opened opposite the record-setting franchise.
Nov. 16-18, 2001
1.) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: $90 million (3,672 theaters)
8.) The Wash: $2.8 million (749 theaters)
Here's what you're thinking: What the hell is The Wash? Good question! It's the Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre movie that you never thought you wanted, from esteemed director DJ Pooh. Needless to say, filmgoers were hesitant to see such a cinematic masterpiece when there was a Harry Potter film playing next door. The Wash does succeed in being the type of "urban" counterprogramming maneuver studios like to toss out against major blockbusters every once in a while, but that didn't matter. You'll recall that Snoop's Soul Plane opened opposite The Day After Tomorrow in a similar to-the-wolves release in 2004.
Nov. 15-17, 2002
1.) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: $88.3 million (3,682 theaters)
5.) Half Past Dead: $7.8 million (2,113 theaters)
Speaking of urban! Ja Rule, Morris Chestnut and Steven Seagal starred in Half Past Dead, which featured music from DMX. Considering the dearth of ethnicity in the Harry Potter universe, this strategy wasn't without merits; unfortunately, it was without success. Fun fact: Half Past Dead was the last Seagal movie to get released into theaters before Machete; everything else went straight-to-DVD.
June 4-6, 2004
1.) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: $93.6 million (3,855 theaters)
58.) The Corporation: $28,671 (2 theaters)
The Prisoner of Azkaban -- which we've discussed -- scored the biggest opening weekend in the history of the franchise when it was released in 2004, but there were certainly flaws in that facade. For starters, nothing got released opposite Alfonso Cuaron's film, it premiered on the most theaters in franchise history, and still only out-ranked The Sorcerer's Stone by $3 million. No wonder it's the lowest grossing Potter film of the six domestically. For what it's worth: The Corporation was a Canadian documentary on corporations, which made sure to tap into that vast "summer moviegoers who like documentaries on corporations" audience.
Nov. 18-20, 2005
1.) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: $102.6 million (3,858 theaters)
2.) Walk the Line: $22.3 million (2,961 theaters)
Proof positive that the "If you build it, they will come" theory works. Walk the Line had a huge marketing push, two major movies stars and killer buzz -- and it opened well even when faced with the latest "biggest Potterever." Walk the Line is the best comparable on this list for The Next Three Days, in that they're both adult dramas. Unfortunately, Haggis' film doesn't have Reese Witherspoon in the lead.
July 13-15, 2007
1.) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: $77.1 million (4,285 theaters)
12.) Captivity: $1.4 million (1,061 theaters)
Nothing says counterprogramming like scheduling some soulless torture porn opposite what's ostensibly a movie for children. Too bad it didn't work. Meanwhile, Order of the Phoenix "only" grossed $77 million over the weekend, but that's just because it already took in $62 million on Wednesday and Thursday.
July 17-19, 2009
1.) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: $77.8 million (4,325 theaters)
12.) (500) Days of Summer: $834,501 (27 theaters)
Call it Walk the Line on a small scale: (500) Days of Summer had great reviews, two attractive leads, a killer soundtrack and was the date night choice for hipsters on opening weekend. The only problem? Hipsters like Harry Potter, too. (Plus, (500) Days only opened in 27 theaters.)
Looking ahead past this weekend's showdown, The Deathly Hallows, Part II will face the stiffest competition yet: David Gordon Green's The Sitter and Winnie the Pooh are both set to open opposite the final installment of Harry Potter on July 15, 2011. Will one of them be the next Walk the Line? Will one of them blink and move (looking at you, Pooh)? As it turns out, the cliffhanger at the end of Part I isn't the only HP mystery you can concern yourself with over the next eight months.