Harry Potter didn't arrive in time to save the fall box office.
While the season got off to a promising start, its momentum soon fizzled and the final tally proved to be just another mark in the disappointment column for 2005.
Not one picture, including the two top-grossers Flightplan and Chicken Little, earned more than $100-million (U.S.) during the 10-week period, although Chicken Little was poised to hit a century Monday. The last year that no film reached $100-million during the autumn was 1997.
The North American box-office total for the fall was $1.34-billion, down nearly 4 per cent from the $1.39-billion registered in 2004. The latest tally was down 18 per cent from the record-shattering $1.63 billion collected in 2003. (The period covers the 10 weeks from the end of the Labour Day holiday weekend to last Thursday, the day before the launch of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.) Because ticket prices have increased slightly, estimated admissions for the fall presented an even bleaker picture of the season. Estimated ticket units were 208.1 million, down nearly 8 per cent from the 223 million reported a year earlier and well shy of the record 268.3 million rung up in 2003.
By contrast, last year's fall was a top-heavy season with the two highest-grossing films -- Shark Tale and The Incredibles -- generating more than $150-million each. In all, three films grossed more than $100-million each that autumn.
This fall looks much different: Flightplan landed with $87-million and Chicken Little amassed $84.4-million.
While some fall seasons can point to strengths at the top, in the middle, or the lower-ranked films, this fall could claim none of the above.