"Nine" Ranks No. 8 at Weekend Nationwide Box Office

By Adam Hetrick
29 Dec 2009

Daniel Day-Lewis and Marion Cotillard
Daniel Day-Lewis and Marion Cotillard
Photo by David James © The Weinstein Company

Rob Marshall's starry film adaptation of Maury Yeston's Tony-winning musical "Nine" failed to set screens aflame in its nationwide release Christmas weekend.

With an all-star cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz and Sophia Loren, not to mention Oscar-nominated "Chicago" director Marshall at the helm, prospects looked good for "Nine" to become box office gold.

In its first weekend of wide release, "Nine" grossed only $5.5 million and ranked No. 8, according to Variety. The film musical, which played on 1,412 screens, also saw an 8 percent decline at the box office nationwide and in New York as the weekend progressed. Critical response to the film was cool.

In comparison, Marshall's hit film version of the Kander and Ebb musical "Chicago" took in $10.7 million for the weekend when it hit wide release in February 2003, on 1,841 screens across the country. In its initial December 2002 limited release (on only 77 screens), "Chicago" pulled in $2.1 million; a further limited release with roughly 400 screens, grossed $5.6 million in January 2003.

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"Nine" stars two-time Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis as film director Guido Contini. Late Academy Award-winning director and screenwriter Anthony Minghella is credited as the "Nine" screenwriter. The film also features choreography by Marshall and John DeLuca.

The women of Guido's life are portrayed on screen by Penelope Cruz (Carla), Marion Cotillard (Luisa), Sophia Loren (Guido's Mother), Nicole Kidman (Claudia), Kate Hudson (Stephanie), Judi Dench (Liliane La Fleur), Fergie (Saraghina), Ricky Tognazzi, Giuseppe Cederna, Valerio Mastandrea and Martina Stella.

Based on the semi-autobiographical Fellini film "8 ½," Nine premiered on Broadway in 1982, starring Raul Julia, Anita Morris and Karen Akers. The Tommy Tune-directed production won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. In 2003 Broadway saw a revival boasting an all-star cast including Antonio Banderas, Chita Rivera, Jane Krakowski and Mary Stuart Masterson. Directed by David Leveaux and reset in the early 1960s, the revival would win two Tonys, including Best Revival.

Nine centers on Guido Contini, a heralded film director (much like Federico Fellini) who, fearing he is losing his touch, escapes to a Venetian spa for rejuvenation. Blurring the lines of fantasy and reality, the women in Contini's life swirl about him, from his mother, to his wife, to his mistress, all of whom ultimately serve as dangerous distraction and inspiration.