The decision by 20th Century Fox to release its horror remake “The Omen” on 6/6/06 paid off: The thriller scared up the largest Tuesday gross in history with an eerie first-day take of $12,633,666, the studio said Wednesday.
“The Omen” edged past 2004’s “Meet the Fockers,” which opened at $12,629,620 on Christmas Day that year.
“We got some numbers that are hard to believe,” said Bruce Snyder, Fox’s president of distribution.
The film, directed by John Moore, stars Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber, Mia Farrow and Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick and is an updated version of the 1976 film of the same name.
It’s extremely rare for a movie to hit theaters on a Tuesday, but Fox wanted to capitalize on the 6/6/06 date, which indicates the Mark of the Beast. In “The Omen,” parents are unaware that their little boy, Damien, is destined to become the Antichrist.
“It was a smart marketing maneuver from the beginning,” said Gitesh Pandya, editor of the Web site boxofficeguru.com.
“The Omen” opened in 2,660 theaters nationwide, and Snyder said many showings were sellouts, much to his surprise and relief.