Crouching Tiger Hype Continues

It may have the words "crouching" and "hidden" in the title, but Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, is anything but.

The Mandarin-language kung fu tribute from director Ang Lee became the highest grossing foreign-language film of all time this weekend, bypassing the hugely popular Life Is Beautiful.

"It's a unique movie that people are telling other people to go and see," Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, says of the film's success. "The film hits all the cinematic themes: romance, combat. And it's done with great finesse."

Tiger took in $5.4 million between Friday and Sunday, pushing its North American total to $60.3 million, ahead of Roberto Benigni's Holocaust comedy, which grossed $57.1 domestically.

Like that 1998 Italian import, the Taiwanese-backed Tiger is shaping up to be a major Oscar contender. In addition to Best Foreign-Language Film (which seems a lock), Hollywood observers think the martial-arts fantasy could snag nods for Best Picture and Best Director when nominations are announced Tuesday morning. And the Oscar recognition will only increase its commercial appeal.

Sony Pictures Classics is ready for the jump, planning on expanding the movie to about 1,600 theaters, up about 400, this weekend. At 1,200, the epic was on more screens than any foreign-language film ever had been before.

"It's really fantastic that a foreign-language film can reach that [amount at the box office]," says Michael Barker, copresident of Sony Pictures Classics. "There's a wider, more sophisticated audience out there."

Tiger has already won two Golden Globes, one for Lee and the other for best foreign-language film, numerous critics awards and is up for the top prizes from the Directors Guild and Writers Guild. However, its stars have failed to garner much individual recognition this awards season and were shut out by the Screen Actors Guild. "It is weird the actors have been overlooked," Dergarabedian said, surmising that the film's rich visuals may have taken away from Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh's performances.