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SUNDAY AM: North American box office numbers show that No. 1 Disney / Pixar’s futuristic Wall-E blasted off with a $23.1 million Friday and $22 million Saturday from 3,992 theaters for what was a $62.5 million opening weekend. This means arty Wall-E is big and transcended from a kids movie into a four-quadrant hit. But it wasn’t quite the $70+M record breaker everyone thought it would be. Still, it was the 3rd biggest Pixar opening (behind The Incredibles at $70.5M and Finding Nemo at $70.2M, but equal to Monsters Inc. at $62.5M) and the 7th all-time animated opening. And its opening day gross was the biggest of all nine Pixar titles ($23.1M, which passed The Incredibles‘ $20.5 million of 2004) and its opening weekend the 2nd best overall for June (behind Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban‘s $93.7M). Disney is looking for a Best Picture Oscar nomination for the computer-generated G-rated toon, very possible with 97% great reviews from top critics and even rival studio bigwigs gushing: “It’s just adorable and smart and interesting. It has more character development and emotion than any movie I’ve seen this year.” One wrinkle in Wall-E‘s marketing was that the 1 hour, 37 minute pic has no dialogue for the first 40 or so minutes. And it can be hard to find something funny to say from a character who doesn’t talk.
More and more, films with different ratings and different genres can happily coexist at the box office — Alvin And The Chipmunks and I Am Legend, American Gangster and Bee Movie. So Wanted, Universal’s Angelina Jolie/James McAvoy starrer, debuted to $19.1M Friday and $17.5M Saturday from 3,175 venues for a $51.1M weekend. It marks a new franchise for the studio which expected only $35+M from this stylish summer actioner fueled by the Matrix-like high octane provided by hot Russian director Timur Bekmambetov. It turned out to be the best June opening ever for an R-rated movie, beating Knocked Up‘s $30.6M, and the 6th highest R-rated opening of all time (behind The Matrix Reloaded, The Passion Of The Christ, 300, Hannibal, and Sex And The City) as well as the 3rd biggest R-rated action film (behind The Matrix Reloaded‘s $91.7M, and 300‘s $70.9M). It’s also the biggest opening ever for a live-action Angelina movie and she proved a big draw: the studio said the main reasons given for choosing to see Wanted were the action (67%) and Jolie (61%). Exit polling showed the audience breakdown was 52%/48% male to female, 51%/49% under age 30 to over age 30.
Warner Bros comedy Get Smart took No. 3 with $6.5M Friday and $7.8M Saturday for a $21M FSS (-45% from its opening) and new cume of $77.2M. At No. 4, DreamWorks Animation / Paramount’s Kung Fu Panda took in $3.4M Friday and $4.5M Saturday for a $11.7M weekend and $179.3M cume. And in the 5th slot, Universal’s The Incredible Hulk managed $2.8M Friday and $3.8M Saturday for a $9.7M weekend and new cume of $116M. A Paramount’s The Love Guru dropped 61% from its opening for No. 6 with $1.8M Friday and $1.9M Saturday for a $5.4M weekend and cume of $25.4M.
The rest of the Top 10: At No. 7, Paramount’s Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull took in $1.3M Friday and $2.1M Saturday for a $5M weekend with a cume that is about to zoom over $300M. M Night Shymalan’s The Happening for Fox was No. 8 with $1.1M Friday and $1.5M Saturday and $3.8M for the weekend, with a new cume of $59M. At No. 9 was HBO Films / New Line/ Warner Bros’ Sex And The City which earned $1.1M Friday and $1.4M Saturday for a $3.7M weekend and new cume of $140.1M. And in 10th, Sony’s You Don’t Mess With The Zohan made $990K Friday and $1.2M Saturday for a $3.2 weekend and $91.2M cume.
Overall, the domestic gross this weekend was up 20% over last year’s to complete the June sweep . No reason to think July won’t keep the winning streak going.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Am I crazy for thinking that Morgan Freeman is actually MORE of a draw than James McAvoy? That’s a cool-ass motherfucker with plenty of street cred among the younger viewers. He’s in hit after hit without getting enough credit–even from the “experts.” Sucks to be “mature” in Hollywood, I guess.
*The key to Wanted’s success was the casting of McAvoy,*
WTF? lol. No one even knows about McAvoy outside of artsy, fartsy Sundance, Indie types oh and UK’rs. The movie success is because of Jolie and her ability to be the only female in Hollywood that can do action like the boys if not better then the boys.
Give the woman her due. The film works because of Jolie any one else and it fails. If the had bombed this weekend everyone would be putting the blame on her shoulders. The movie if the 50 million + holds is because of her and Miller’s fanbase
Count me in as one of the women who went to see Wanted specifically because of Angelina Jolie. She just commands the screen and is completely believable as an action hero. You can have your pretty princesses and I’ll take bold, kickass women who aren’t afraid to knock a man’s teeth out.
You’ll only find adults talking about or even noticing how little dialogue is in the front half of Wall-E. Apparently adults memories are terribly short, and they don’t remember that half of the cartoons they watched as children were virtually silent – just slapstick and classical music – with the occasional wisecrack. Imagine how hard it would be to pitch any WB cartoon these days… or classic Disney shorts… which kids still love when they see. Yeah… it’s all silent… just gags… and classical music. Kids will LOVE it!
Angelina Jolie was excellent in “Wanted.” Even though she is not the main character, she has the best entrance that really sells her “star” power. I think this is her first film where her star wattage reaches the same level that paparazzi TV/blog/weeklies portray it to be.
“WALL-E” was a sticky sweet love story. WALL-E might only be able to say “EVE” (lots) and “directive” (once), but Pixar proved that they could make the story work without dialogue (i.e., in the first half). I echo the comment that it has more genuine emotion in it than anything else I’ve seen this year.
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m a single dad, needing product to take my kids to. They’ve seen Kung Fu Panda, Wall E, and once Kit Kittredge goes wide (I refuse to go to the Grove) they’ll see that. But then there’s nothing. They don’t want to see Meet Dave, or Mama Mia. Journey 3D they’re still on the fence about. Someone on this board asked why aren’t there more family movies? Second that. For those of us who live in the valley, and want to take their kids out, and can’t take them to Wanted – we need more product. Please.
The lack of dialogue in WALL-E isn’t an issue. In fact, it was too much dialogue–much of it bad, and loaded with stupid topical references–that really help ruin Disney’s later traditional-animation flicks, and kill off the genre. Pixar is about storytelling; at the end, Disney wasn’t.
I think plenty of ppl know of McAvoy. I think Jolie is fun to watch in action and McAvoy was an added and needed spice to keep the movie another Jolie action film. I love McAvoy.
We love you, Angelina Jolie.She should pay more than some creepy actors.
“Wanted” changes Angelina Jolie’s status from “star” to “supernova”.
She is the reason this movie will be a hit. Any decent young actor could play Mc Avoy’s role.
What other actress could replace Jolie? Right. No one.
I don’t get the fascination with Angelina Jolie. She’s not much of an actress and her face seems as though it’s frozen in that half-smirk that looks all the more bizarre because her skin looks like plastic. “Distracting” is a better adjective than “beautiful” when describing her. If the paparazzi left her alone, she would fade like yesterday’s news.
angelina jolie is overrated. I’m sorry, I know boohs and hisses are coming my way but I have to tell you that I just saw Tomb Raider 1 and 2 again on DVD about a month ago, and then with Netflix, Mr and Mrs Smith, and it seems she’s just too everywhere these days….
too much twin children talk in the magazines at check out, too much brad/angelina gossip, too much bad ass angelina!
Can’t they find any other woman to star in these shows? How about Rhona Mitra?
Please, give me a movie that kicks ass with a female lead who isn’t angelina jolie. Let her go and be a mom for godsake for a few years to her now 6 children and then have her come back.
I just can’t see her as a sex symbol as she’s walking with her tattoos on her back with water steaming off of her while knowing that she’s ready to pop from having twins. What terrible timing to put this movie out.
OK. My rant is done. Have at me.
Just can’t buy Jolie as an action star, considering she’s a walking toothpick. Her sexiness has long since passed as well.
Just read this from MerlinJones and laughed my ass off when I actually pictured it:
Warner Bros: Angelina and Brad as Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. Pay them whatever they want.
Comment by merlinjones — June 28, 2008 @10:06
Could not get into the 7:30pm showing of WallE in Phoenix at Esplanade so we’re waiting for the 9pm show. Theater was packed and the only seats were at the side in the front 2 rows.
Wanted? I’d rather see Get Smart first. And yes, the 80s and 90s were dominated by Julia Roberts. She goes, has a child, and comes back for Charlie Wilson’s War and everyone dumps on her. That was a great flick and if you read the book – the movie was true to form. I thought the flick was going to be one of those formula republicans=bad/democrats=good but this shows that greek CIA guy was right and it was hillarious. I love Philip Seymour Hoffman – from when he was in Twister to Mission Impossible 3 to Capote. Wow. Can’t wait to see more of him.
In the previews, the action made me nibble, AJ set the hook and Morgan Freeman reeled me in, causing me to invest in a ticket. In the end, AJ’s character proved to be truly pure of heart. I loved the movie, warts and all. I am still bothered by a hero that can’t figure out that maybe the guy risking his life to save him wasn’t really trying to kill him. That said, I’m going back to watch it again.
We went to the late night showing of WALL-E and the place was packed with those of us who love the animation, the story — and did I mention real character development? We are getting more quality from one movie from PIXAR each than the rest of the Hollywood’s elite can deliver in the other 12 months. They are intelligent, fun for everyone and you want to see them over again — which means DVD sales, too! Read The Pixar Touch (David Price) and you will have even a deeper appreciation for the men who stuck with a concept everyone said would fail. WALL-E was charming. And it made our hearts sing and our creative spirits soar!
When word gets around about Wanted it’ll do even better. Great movie. Not just special effects either.
Wall-E has some great stuff, but not only isn’t it the best American film of the past 10 years, it ain’t the best Pixar film of the last 12 months.
I went to see “Wanted”. I am an odd demographic. Married, 3 kids, highly educated but I love violent movies. Doesn’t mesh well with the Volvo but go figure.
I went because I am HUGE James McAvoy fan. I’ve seen EVERYTHING he’s been in. And no one kicks ass like Jolie. I think if women don’t like her, it’s not because she’s not good at what she does. She is. They just are jealous of the package. I mean, come ON….if Angelina lived on your street, you’d be supervising your husbands mowing the lawn.
Hey Guys, Hey Girls!
If Angelina looked like Mother Teresa, no one would be going to see her films. Yeah, she can act and has a real cool stage presence. But admit it, it’s those full, pouty, red ruby lips; that perfect face; those luicious —-, oh well, you fill in the blanks!
Obama ’08!
I think the guy in the movie carried the movie. Jolie’s role in the movie was minor, and any hot female would have shown her ass. There was very little acting on her part…she hardly even talks in the movie. Jolie was used to get both men and women (a lot of women seem sexually attacted to Jolie) more interested in the movie. Feminists should be pissed because people don’t want to see Jolie because she’s a great actress, only because she looks good. The sappy leftwing message movies that she does when she’s not playing the slut action hero always bomb.
Just left this movie. Not great. It is, in fact, a teen boy flick. Just one with well known actors. Mindless shoot ‘em up, complete with typical teenage angst. Not worth the price of admission.
Wanted is a terrible movie based on an even worse comic book. It isn’t a “teen boy movie”. It’s unlikely any “teen boy” has even read the comics it is based on.
It is a terrible action movie on all levels which can only be expected whent he source material is so pathetic. It’s unfortunate that Jolie and Morgan Freeman somehow found themselves wrapped up in this piece of garbage. Even more pathetic that the audience has so little class nad taste that they thought a movie with “CURVE THE BULLET!” and “SHOOT THE FLY!” was fantastic.
Jolie has been great in a lot of things including and since Hackers. But at a certain point you just have to call crap “crap”, regardless of who is starring in it.