"Pearl Harbor" Off to a Great Start

Bruckheimer, who has also produced "Armageddon" and "Gone in 60 Seconds," noted that "they’re phenomenal numbers for me. It’s the biggest opening I’ve ever had." Disney, whose Touchtone Pictures created the movie, did not estimate how much "Pearl Harbor" would gross over the entire Memorial Day weekend, but based on analysts’ predictions based on the first two days, it would make roughly $75 million, short of only "Lost World: Jurassic Park," which grossed $90.2 million over the 1997 Memorial Day weekend.

While some predicted that the film could gross over $100 million in the first weekend, officials at Disney noted that the film’s length would make that almost impossible. The movie, at over 3 hours, can be shown no more than four times in movie theaters, whereas shorter films can be shown over five times a day. "Considering its running time, I think it’s a terrific opening," said Paul Dergarabedian, the president of Exhibitor Relations, which tracks the movie box office.

While Pearl Harbor has done well with fans, critics were less kind, noting that the romance and characters were not very interesting. Like "Titanic," the film uses an historical event as the platform for a romance between young, attractive stars, thus appealing to teenaged girls who often return repeatedly to view such films in theaters. Those expecting a pointed and in-depth exploration of this piece of American history will probably leave disappointed.