Will Ferrell
scored another number one hit but attracted smaller-than-expected crowds to his
new basketball comedy Semi-Pro
leading the North American box office to slump to its worst showing in three
months. Opening in semi-national release, the period romance The Other Boleyn Girl
performed well but the comedy Penelope
stumbled and barely made the top ten.
Ferrell’s latest attempt to mine laughs out of sports came in the form of Semi-Pro
which opened atop the charts this weekend to an estimated $15.3M. The New Line
release averaged a decent $4,906 from 3,121 sites but did not match the numbers
of the funnyman’s other recent hits like Blades of Glory
($33M), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
($47M), and Anchorman
($28.4M). Those were all rated PG-13 allowing the comedian’s teen fans to buy
tickets while Semi-Pro carried the more restrictive R which most likely affected
ticket sales. It was the lowest gross for a number one film since
Jodie Foster‘s
The Brave One
which debuted to $13.5M last September.
Sony’s hit assassination thriller
Vantage Point
fell to second place but enjoyed a good hold dropping 43% to an estimated $13M.
The ensemble actioner has banked a terrific $41M in ten days and has benefited
from a highly effective marketing push by the studio. Look for a domestic final
of $70-75M.
Holding up even better was the fantasy adventure The Spiderwick Chronicles
with an estimated $8.8M. The Paramount pic slipped only 33% and is taking
advantage of a marketplace lacking other options for families.
Sony scored a solid debut for its period drama The Other Boleyn Girl
which bowed to an estimated $8.3M from only 1,166 locations for an impressive
$7,118 average. It was the best per-theater performance of any film in the Top
20. Starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson,
the PG-13 film played overwhelmingly to young women. Studio research indicated
that the audience was 72% female and 66% under 35. Reviews were not very
positive.
Jumper
jumped down to fifth dropping 40% to an estimated $7.6M giving Fox $66.8M to
date. Buena Vista’s urban dance pic Step Up 2 The Streets
followed with an estimated $5.7M, off 41%, for a $48.6M cume. The Matthew McConaughey–Kate Hudson
reunion pic Fool’s Gold
grossed an estimated $4.7M, down only 28%, and raised its sum to $59.1M
for Warner Bros.
Two films tied for eighth place with an estimated $4M each. Summit debuted
its Christina Ricci
pic Penelope
in 1,196 locations and averaged a mild $3,349. The PG-rated film appealed to a
more female audience and saw direct competition from the solid launch of
Boleyn. Reviews were mixed. Oscar king
No Country For
Old Men expanded from 1,101 to 2,037 sites to capitalize on its
Academy Award attention and climbed back into the top ten. Miramax has grossed
$69.6M to date and should be headed past the $80M mark domestically.
Another Oscar winner Juno
placed tenth with an estimated $3.4M, down just 19%, and upped its total to
$135.1M. Fox Searchlight’s indie sensation jumped up to number 16 on the list of
top-grossing 2007 releases surpassing its parent studio’s expensive summer
action sequels
Live Free or
Die Hard and
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Ellen Page’s Juno is also the
highest-grossing female-led film since 2002’s Academy Award-winning musical
Chicago which
was headlined by
Catherine
Zeta Jones and
Renee
Zellweger.
The top ten films grossed an estimated $74.7M which was down a troubling 28%
from last year when Wild
Hogs opened at number one with $39.7M; and off 4% from 2006 when
Madea’s Family
Reunion remained in the top spot with $12.6M in its second weekend.
Author: Gitesh Pandaya, www.boxofficeguru.com
