Matrix nets $204m in box office revolution

THE final instalment of the Matrix sci-fi trilogy has set a new record in its first weekend, making it the biggest global opening film of all time.

The Matrix Revolutions, pummelled by critics as harshly as The Matrix Reloaded was last May, has grossed $85.5 million in the US domestically since debuting last Wednesday, according to studio estimates. While the numbers are high, they are still down from Reloaded, which had a $91.8 million weekend debut and took in $134.2 million over its first four days.

Distributor Warner Bros preferred to focus on the worldwide results for Revolutions. Warner opened the movie simultaneously in a record 109 countries, where it racked up a worldwide total of $204.1 million in five days, beating the previous global high of about $200 million for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Will Ferrell's Christmas comedy Elf, about a human raised among the little people at the North Pole, opened strongly in second place with $32.1 million. In narrower release, the romantic comedy Love Actually had a healthy debut with $6.6 million, coming in at No 6.

The Matrix franchise is now pushing the $1 billion mark.

"Anytime you have a billion dollars in box office, that's pretty impressive," said Joel Silver, producer of The Matrix franchise. "I don't know how you point a finger and say there's anything wrong there."

Still, interest clearly has waned in the franchise, which began in 1999 with the Wachowski brothers' The Matrix, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss. The movie's sleek black fashion sense and slow-motion visual effects have become one of the most copied looks in movie history. Many fans of the original were disappointed by Matrix Reloaded, finding it a lacklustre follow-up that emphasised style over substance.

Reloaded's opening weekend the second-best ever after Spider-Man's $114.8 million was greatly due to demand since the original movie. Revolutions lacked that build-up.

"I don't know what film could do $90 million and then repeat that with its next sequel just six months later," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Playing in 3,502 theatres domestically, Matrix Revolutions averaged $14,322 a cinema from Friday to Sunday, down from a $25,472 average for Matrix Reloaded.

Love Actually, with an ensemble cast including Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson, averaged $11,458 in 576 cinemas, while Elf averaged $9,619 in 3,337 theatres.