Warner Bros.' Constantine, a $100 million screen adaptation of the DC/Vertigo property Hellblazer, opened strongly over the weekend earning an estimated $30.5 million from Friday through Sunday. The romantic comedy Hitch, starring Will Smith, slipped only 26%t and narrowly nosed out Constantine, earning an estimated $31.8 million and winning the box office derby for the second week in a row. Constantine and Hitch represent the first duo ever to take in over $30 million each over the President's Day weekend, which still has a day to go (Monday grosses are not included in these estimates). Son of the Mask, which is based on the Dark Horse Comics property The Mask, ended up in fourth place with an estimated gross of $7.7 million.
Constantine's strong opening is certainly welcome, especially given the poor showings of such recent comic book-based offerings as Catwoman, Blade Trinity, and Elektra. If the film continues to do well in the U.S. and overseas, it will further solidify the standing of Keanu Reeves, who has apparently overcome at least some of his early detractors and started to get some positive notices, including a strong write-up in last week's Time Magazine. If Constantine, which had the week's highest per screen average at $10,154, can avoid the steep drop-offs that have characterized many recent science fiction/horror films (take the Boogeyman for example), it should also continue to provide opportunities for comic book retailers thanks to the extensive library of Hellblazer books (see 'Constantine Boffo (In Asia)').
