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SUNDAY AM: Miley Cyrus now joins Kevin James in doing what a lot of established stars like Julia Roberts, Kevin Costner and Eddie Murphy can’t these days: open a movie. And open she did on what Media By Numbers calculated was the biggest Easter Weekend on record at the North American box office — $130.2M in 2009, compared to next highest $112.8M in 2008.
Disney had been expecting a North American Fri-Sat-Sun gross of only $17M for the entire Easter Weekend of G-rated Hannah Montana, The Movie. But now the Smiley Miley starrer opened with that tween girl haul just for Friday from 3,118 theaters, $17.3M and another $10.3M Saturday and an estimated $6.4M Sunday for what was $34M for the entire Fri-Sat-Sun. That made this not only the #1 biggest Easter Weekend family film of all time (Disney has all Top 3), but also the No. 2 highest grossing Easter Weekend pic ever (surging past The Panic Room‘s $30.1M in 2002, but not the $40.2M debut of Scary Movie 4 in 2006). Rival studios had been predicting $40M and upwards, but Disney made sure to point out that, historically on Easter Weekend, Saturday’s box office usually drops by 41% from Friday’s (and HMTM was down by 41%), with Sunday’s similarly depressed, because of holiday activities. Friday’s take was the highest opening day for a G-rated live-action film in industry history. Surprisingly, Disney said 20% of the audience was male.
Hollywood had expected great numbers because of the rabid fanbase for the Disney Channel TV show and for Miley Cyrus. But Disney cautiously projected the pic to play like another Disney Channel small screen to big screen hit, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, which opened on a non-Easter weekend to $17M for the 3 days. As for the huge success of 2008′s Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour flick, that was helped by Disney’s hyping it as a week-only engagement, which created a frenzy among tweens who couldn’t get tickets to see Cyrus live in concert.
Second place went to Universal’s blockbuster holdover Fast & Furious , the 4th in the street racing franchise, which easily crossed $100 million after just 8 days in theaters to $118M. Sure, it took a -65% tumble for $10.7M Friday after its humongous opening a week ago. But it earned $10.4M Saturday and ended Easter Weekend with around $28.8M (-59) from 3,472 venues. The fourquel also did $46.5M internationally this weekend from 50 territories to cross $200M worldwide.
DreamWorks Animation’s Monsters v Aliens distributed by Paramount came in 3rd with $9M Friday and $8.1M Saturday from 4,136 plays, for a $22.6M Easter Weekend and a new cume of $141M.
In 4th place was Warner Bros’ R-rated mall cop Observe And Report starring Seth Rogen, Anna Faris and Ray Liotta: it opened with about $4.7M Friday and $3.9M Saturday from 2,727 dates for a $10.9M Easter Weekend. But what was the studio thinking by allowing a “date rape” scene in which Rogen’s character has sex with an unconscious female trashed on antidepressants and tequila? (Rogen in a recent interview said: “When we’re having sex and she’s unconscious like you can literally feel the audience thinking, like, how are they going to make this OK? … And then she says, like, the one thing that makes it all okay: ‘Why are you stopping’?” What utter crap. Everyone connected with this pic should be ashamed.
And following in 5th was Summit Entertainment’s Knowing with $2.5M Friday and Saturday for a $6.7M Easter Weekend from 2,925 dates and a new $68M cume.
Top 10 chart
1. Hannah Montana, The Movie (Disney) OPENER [3,118] Wkd $34M
2. Fast & Furious (Uni) Week 2 [3,472] Wkd $28M (-59%) Cume $118M
3. Monsters v Aliens (DWA/Par) Week 3 [4,136] Wkd $22M, Cume $141M
4. Observe And Report (WB) OPENER [2,727] Wkd $11M
5. Knowing (Summit) Week 4 [2,925] Wkd $6.6M, Cume $68M
6. I Love You, Man (DWA/Par) Week 4 [2,643] Wkd $6.4M, Cume $58.9M
7. Haunting In Conn (LG) Week 3 [2,721] Wkd $5.7M, Cume $46.3M
8. Dragonball Evolution (Fox) OPENER [2,181] Wkd $4.6M
9. Adventureland (Miramax) Week 2 (-40%) [1,876] Wkd $3.4M, Cume $11.4M
10. Duplicity (Uni) Week 4 [1,965] Wkd $2.9M, Cume $36.8M
More on Hannah Montana, The Movie: Once again, the Disney marketing machine got it right, sending Miley and her dad Billy Ray Cyrus around the country for surprise appearances at selected movie theaters. 
At 12:05 PM, the duo entered the Regal Pinnacle in Knoxville, Tennessee, and “the crowd went insane,” according to one report reaching me. “Miley and Billy Ray spoke to the audience, thanked them for being there, and told them that they were the reason for their success. Billy Ray asked if they would like to hear one of Miley’s songs. Everyone started yelling, ‘Yes!’ Then she sang the chorus from “The Best of Both Worlds”. The crowd kept chanting her name. (Photo, left, by Adam Brimer/Knoxville News Sentinel)
In Salt Lake City, Miley and Billy Ray showed up at the Megaplex 20 in the District around 3:40 PM. ”It was pandemonium. Miley and Billy Ray again thanked the screaming audience for being there. Billy Ray invited all the kids to come down and pose with Miley and him. The crowd was staring in awe, kids were in tears, and everybody was unbelievably excited. As the duo were leaving, behind the theatre, a crowd of at least 500 formed and chanted ’Miley’. The father and daughter signed some autographs and went on their way.”
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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I thought the Observe and Report trailer was pretty weak. Maybe that’s why I didn’t go see it.
While Miley’s talent may be debatable, Rogen’s isn’t. he has none. He relies on the disgusting and profane and can’t act his way out of a bag of BC Bud. Now, it turns out he’s done one misogynistic movie too many. Date Rape is not a joke. It shouldn’t be portrayed as oneever, in any light, EVER.
May this movie, and Seth Rogan disappear quickly.
Thank goodness the American movie audience cares less what movie critics and movie pundits think and more about whether they were entertained by the film. It’s a great thing when a zero talented, odd teethed, homely looking teen actress can develop a character that millions of Americans can appreciate and love. That makes her quite the clever actress to pull off that kind of amazing appeal! And both Hannah Montana and Monsters versus Aliens will have huge weekends hovering at the 30+ million and 40+ million marks. Hannah made nearly 20 million, on Good Friday no less, and Monsters versus Aliens came in just under 10 million. Fast & Furious may be quickly dieing at the box office but these two family films are going to thrive during the next week and a half of Easter vacation time.
“personally I didnt see Observe & Report because it seemed like a blatant ripoff of Mall Cop/Guy or whatever. yeah I noticed the R and personally didnt like the setup. too soon after the other one. why would anyone release such an obvious rip-off so close to the original?”
Yep, they obviously saw Paul Blart: Mall Cop and obviously thought, “Hey, let’s rip this movie off. And we’ll get Seth Rogen to star in it. And we’ll make it R-rated so we can put some sick stuff in it. It’s gonna be awesome!”
In case you didn’t notice it, I was being sarcastic. Because Observe and Report is obviously not a rip-off of Paul Blart. Paul Blart was released only three months ago. Yeah, maybe they shouldn’t have released it so close to Paul Blart, but then again, nobody expected Paul Blart to be a huge success. Other than the fact that the main characters in these two movies are both mall cops, they’re movies are completely different. No one stole anything from anyone. It’s just a coincidence.
Lotta dumb folks in this big ol’ country of ours. And we wonder why we get spoon fed dumb movies?
People calling Observe and Report a rip-off amuses me. As if someone who saw Mall Cop walked out of the theater saying “That’s brilliant! Let’s write, cast, produce, post, market, and release a total rip-off in three months! Only with a completely different tone and story!” Sheesh…
And the irony is that the “look at the stupid fat guy crawl on the floor” comedy breaks 100 million and the edgier, more interesting comedy can’t get out of the starting blocks.
As for Miley/Hannah/whoever, I’m not a fan, but I don’t get what sad little void it fills in people to bash her. Human nature, I guess. But to all the Miley defenders? Hey, its laudable, you sound like nice folks, but “she’s just a kid” is no argument. My friends’ daughters are “just” kids. You wanna be a superstar? You take your knocks.
Why is it that stars aren’t bothered when random people gush over them for no reason, but are so confused when random people revile them for no reason? Folks, they’ve got no more intrinsic value than any of the rest of us. Celebrity is in the eye of the beholder.
The trailer for Observe and Report was horrible. I laughed once. I saw the movie at an advance screening at my University and I only did it to support the charity of a friend of mine and because it was $5…and I was pleasantly surprised at how funny it was. It was definitely an offensive movie (jokes about alcoholism, borderline racism, and the date-rape scene), but Seth Rogen is a quality comedic actor who can carry a film.
What’s with all the Rogen-bashing? Movies that make fun of murder, child abuse etc are fine (see: most of this years comedy) but one joke about date-rape and he’s worse than Hitler? Funny is funny.
How stupid are you people? A Mall Cop rip-off? This was written LONG before Mall Cop, and started shooting 9 months before Mall Cop even came out. And Nikki, why should the people who made Observe and Report be ashamed because of the date-rape scene. It happens all the time. It’s a part of life. Jody is just being an honest filmmaker. The story dictated its inclusion and it reveals important details about both the characters in the scene. Would you say the makers of The Accused should be ashamed? Your moral righteousness is starting to disgust me.
Observe And Report was nothing at all like Paul Blart: Mall Cop. A big thank you for that, Jody Hill.
And yes, the sex/date rape scene discussed here was in the film, and it sounds inexcusable when taken out of context. But in the framework of the film, and seeing the kind of characters being portrayed here, it just comes off a shocking bit of behavior from a clearly unstable individual.
I guess on reason why I liked the film as much as I did was because it really walked a fine line between being laugh out loud funny at times and in the next moment being just twisted and really messed up. It’s sort of a gamble for Rogen to play this kind of character, and for Warner Brothers too for releasing it as is. It makes you laugh at one minute and then makes you ask yourself it was okay to laugh in the next. In other words, it messes with your head and makes you think a little bit.
I doubt if there were any such moments in Hannah Montana or Fast & Furious.
And yes, the trailer for Observe And Report was very weak. And very misleading as to the type of film it really is.
Observe and Report is, without a doubt, the funniest film I’ve seen in years. Anyone who’s giving this film a hard time, and has yet to see it, can’t say a damn thing. This movie has an audience, it’s just not for everyone. And I don’t want to say it’ll have a cult following, because I believe this film can tap into the mainstream. It’s just a different type of humor, one that is shocking in how far it goes. And shocking is funny! Really, see this movie. It’s not paul blart, it’s not apatow, it’s not sandler-esque, it’s something different. FINALLY Hollywood, something different (and freakin’ hilarious).
“She must be doing something right to have a number one movie.”
No, Disney is doing something right. Be it Lindsay Lohan, Hillary Duff, High School Musical or now Miley Cyrus – Disney knows how to handle the tween market and really hit that sweet spot. Kudos to them.
As for Miley, I have seen the show – and of the bunch of Disney starlets, she is by far the worst ACTRESS of the bunch. She’s bad even by kid’s TV shows standards.
She seems to be itching to break out of the Mouse House….and I imagine she’ll has as much success as Lindsay and Hillary (ie, almost none).
God I’m just sick to death of her. After hearing her open her mouth on the red carpet, all I can say is that she’s worse than Ryan Seacrest in the foot-in-mouth disease department… and that’s B-A-D.
I’ve loved Jody Hill and Seth Rogen’s work, but “Observe and Report” was one of the meanest, unfunny movies I have ever seen. And the date rape scene is worse than advertised.
Saw O&R tonight and was extremely disappointed. Trailer better than film. Writing wasn’t very tight and the execution of what WAS there was off. May have seemed funny on the page to the writer/director, but really needed a fresh set of eyes on the page and behind the camera.
Faris saying “why are you stopping, mother_____er?” was actually one of the best jokes in the film. Original and genuinely funny. Although I didn’t really love the film, I applaud it and the studio for not being afraid of doing something a bit different. Come on, Nikki, don’t knock originality!
At least Dragonball Evolutions is getting the cold shoulder as it should. Proof that, somehow, Americans still have taste.
When I went to go see the Fast and the Furious this afternoon,I brought up the Hannah Montana movie with the ticket teller. I explained that the local Hannah Montana fanbase is flocking to Jackson to see it. The employees sounded real disappointed when they didn’t get this movie for the Easter Weekend. For this market not getting hannah montana for the easter weekend is going to veiw as a disappointment. By the way serve and protect opened here but I didn’t waste my bucks on it.
Aside from the fact that SETH ROGEN is yesterday’s news and many don’t care if he tries to reinvent himself or moves to an island with 5 hookers….
OBSERVE AND REPORT – (weakest trailer ever)
… all anybody talks about is that DATE-RAPE SCENE. That’s it. Apparently not the kind of scene you would want to have in any movie (except a torture-porn horror flick)
Wait, the other thing many who’ve watched OBSERVE AND REPORT are actively bitching about is how the trailer completely MISREPRESENTED the movie. (I would count that as a plus as the trailer is horrible. But I will not watch OAR due to the rape scene thankyouverymuch.)
The concept of PAUL BLART meets TAXI DRIVER does sound very interesting to me. However, from the many comments I’ve read about the film, Jody Hill had no clue how to actually realize it in an interesting way.
RE: Hannah Montana – MOONLIGHT THE MOVIE
That the filmindustry is slow on the uptake is nothing new. Especially when it comes to the current relationship of TV and movies. How else to explain that MOONLIGHT THE MOVIE was not made? Even after MOONLIGHT won fans overseas who then – months after everything was said and done – joined their American fans in their mourning of the series? Baffling. With a modest budget that movie would present zero risk.
Why wouldn’t Hannah open big? Disney’s modesty is silly. I don’t buy it.
I attended an advanced sneak preview of “Observe and Report” on Monday. Even though it was a free promotional screening, i wish i didnt see it. And the audience didn’t really care for it either. Scattered, awkward laughs. The last ten minutes were a riot and the conclusion was a cop out (pun intended) and in very poor taste.
The low gross is expected. However, Im stunned by all the positive reviews from critics for ‘O & E’ especially the Onion/AV Club who compared it to a Wes Anderson movie.
On a random note, “Sin Nombre” is the first best of contender for 2009. Stunning and engaging. Seek this movie out.
Stop the OBSERVE AND REPORT hating. The funniest movie this year by a mile. And- SPOILER ALERT- Anna’s character freely takes the drugs! Seth’s character doesn’t slip it in her drink. NOT date rape! Give it a break, Nikki. To blast it like you do with Eli Roth movies is simply unfair. As bfagoa said, this is a strikingly different comedy, and kudos to Warners for making it.
Easter is not a family weekend for movies — even the studios concur that easter weekend has its highest grosses on Friday — so again, why release this movie on this weekend. On top of that, why release the zac efron comedy next weekend — kids are not out of school– although 17 again is getting great reviews — 91 percent fresh last time i checked. They could have easily opened up against star trek in may.
Zac was hilarious on SNL.
I don’t think Duplicity is Julia or Clive’s fault — it’s actually a pretty good movie, but with a bit of a downer of an ending. If you take a look at Oscar nominee Michael Clayton — which Tony Gilroy also directed — it is gonna get similar box office numbers and that starred George Clooney.
Observe & Report is, without a doubt, one of the greatest studio comedies of the last 20 years.
Make no mistake, its writer/director Jody Hill will eventually win a screenwriting Oscar in the coming years.
This movie was above and beyond anything out of Rogen’s previous work. It shocking how well-acted this film was. It seriously plays like something Tarantino would’ve made in the 90s.
It’s a shame that a brilliant film like this one has to live in the shadow of Paul Blart’s box office.
marc, Miley didn’t develop anything, Disney did.She has zero talent and it will show when she tries to grow up and do more challenging roles, like that other Disney factory starlet(Hally Duff, anyone).Without the exploiting machine called Disney behind her, she will have to get roles on her acting ability alone, and so far she has shown none.With that said, I don’t think it right to make personal attacks against a sixteen year old.It’s okay to judge a child’s talent, or lack thereof, but adults ripping her looks and personal choices is beyond mean spirited. Anti-Cyrus,the people you should be blaming for her attire is her parents.As for her dating a twenty year old, what world are you living in? Teenager girls have been dating adult men for centuries, and it is still prevalent throughout the world today(I’m looking at you red states).I’m not saying it’s right, because it isn’t, but if you want play the “role model” card base on her dating choices, you might want to look at a few powerful men this country seem to be in love with.If my memory serve me correctly, Rudy Giuliani married his thirteen year old cousin, Elvis stated courting Priscilla when she was still wearing a training bra, and Michael Jackson, though there is no proof, is a suspected pedophile.One is “America’s Mayor”, the others is adored by millions, and the other just sold out ten shows in London, and is still very more revered in America.
Its comletely different from the Apatow and Sandler mode of comedies. Its more bolder and has an identity. The date rape scene is a misnomer. It was consensual within the context of the moment. Yes she was thrashed which would definitely impair her judgement. But the line reading she says confirms she was in control of the moment. Look this movie is not for everyone, it is uncomfortable to watch at times, but I have to give props to Jody Hill and the rest of the filmmaking team for doing this. And a big shout out to WB. Unlike a lot of people on this comment forum I dug the hell out of that trailer. It told you the story and established the tone. And when you sat down to watch the movie that’s what you got.
There are times when I just don’t want to feel safe when watching a movie. I want to feel a little uneasy at times. The culture needs movies like this to counterbalance against the fast food McMOVIES that dominate our multiplexes on an annual basis.