This Day in Movie History: February 3

Eight years ago Today in Movie History – February 3 – the horror remake When a Stranger Calls set the record for largest Super Bowl weekend opening with $21.6 million on its way to a $47 million domestic run. The remake of the well-known 1979 original didn’t have critics on its side (an awful 9% on Rotten Tomatoes) but audiences answered the call. The Super Bowl record would only hold for two years until the Hannah Montana concert flick would eclipse it.

As for birthdays, Nathan Lane is 58 today. He may be best known for his acclaimed Broadway work, but Lane made a successful foray into film with 1994’s The Lion King (as the voice of Timon) and as the significant other of Robin Williams in the 1996 hit The Birdcage. Other notable appearances: MouseHunt, The Producers, and Swing Vote.

Actress Isla Fisher is 38 today. The 2005 comedy Wedding Crashers made Fisher well-known and her performance was certainly a highlight. Pictures such as Definitely, Maybe and Confessions of a Shopaholic would follow. Last year Fisher appeared in supporting roles in two huge hits – The Great Gatsby and Now You See Me.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between the birthday performers:

Nathan Lane was in The Birdcage with Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman was in The Quick and the Dead with Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio was in The Great Gatsby with Isla Fisher

And that’s today – February 3 – in Movie History!