Blockbusters among 48 films this summer

The sequels to Spider-Man and Shrek lead the pack as KRS Distributors yesterday launched this summer's film schedule.

KRS general manager Charles Pace took the opportunity to confirm that The Passion of fhe Christ raked in the biggest crowds this year so far, to the extent that it has become the second best-selling film of all time, behind Titanic.

KRS will be releasing 48 films over the coming three months, including 12 blockbusters.

Cinema patrons were yesterday treated to the first showing of Shrek 2, dubbed by many critics as better and even funnier than the original - no mean feat considering Shrek was lauded by all and sundry.

The big marketing campaign behind Spider-Man 2 is certainly reaping results - it raked in a staggering $40.5 million in its first day in the US, a record debut. This time the action hero is up against Dr Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) who becomes grafted to a set of four mechanical arms, which he unleashes to amazing effect.

This month also sees the release of films like Around the World in 80 Days, The Whole Ten Yards and The Ladykillers, starring Tom Hanks.

In August, Halle Berry will take on the role of Catwoman, while fans of the lazy obese cat Garfield comic books may feast their eyes on the first feature film.

Godsend, starring Robert De Niro and Greg Kinnear, is expected to be one of the finest pictures this summer. The film focuses on an experimental cloning to try and revive a young boy who was killed in a shooting accident.

King Arthur aims to tie the legend of Arthur into the realities of the time in which he would have ruled.

Mr Pace said KRS had reported an increase of four per cent in takings between January and June when compared to the same period last year.

Analysing the first six months, Mr Pace said it was evident that comedies, action and thrillers remained the most popular films among the Maltese.

In the first six months, KRS released 82 films, with the longest-running pictures being Something's Gotta Give and Along Came Polly, followed by The Last Samurai and Cold Mountain, which ran at 11 weeks.

Mr Pace envisaged the sword and sandals epic Troy and The Day After Tomorrow to run for a number of other weeks before they are pulled from the cinemas.

On the other hand, acclaimed films like Silvia and Dogville flopped, running for just one week.

Best-selling films January - June 2004

1. The Passion of the Christ
2. The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King
3. Troy
4. The Last Samurai
5. The Day After Tomorrow
6. Along Came Polly
7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
8. Scary Movie 3
9. Cold Mountain
10. Peter Pan