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SATURDAY PM / SUNDAY AM: Warner Bros’ The Hangover still rules at the North American box office and looks to sail past $200M domestic, according to even rival studios. (As the saying goes, failure is an orphan, but success has many fathers, so see my previous How ‘The Hangover’ Got Made.) The R-rated no-stars low-brow laffer from Old School director Todd Phillips made $10.5 million Friday (only -37% from its opening a week ago) and $12.9M Saturday (+24%) from 3,355 dates. With a terrific hold of only -26%, it racked up a $33.4M second weekend for a new cume of $105.3M. Never underestimate the comedy tastes of moviegoers, eh? This is the first film of this summer to stay at No. 1 for 2 consecutive weeks.
Pixar/Disney’s blockbuster Up ended its 3rd weekend #2 with $30.5M after scoring another $8.8 million Friday and $13.1 million Saturday and an estimated $8.6M Sunday from 3,886 runs. Pixar movies always keep going, and going, and going… and this is now the 3rd-highest domestic grossing one.
As for The Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3, when I fell asleep Friday night, it was looking to open at No. 2 based on East Coast numbers. But Sony Pictures’ adult thriller starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta didn’t get as big a late-night kick as expected and fell to No. 3 where it stayed all weekend. Why anyone remade the classic 1974 film is inexplicable, especially in this CGI-heavy summer. (Now, if the subway turned into a Transformer…) Also, Travolta’s recent family tragedy meant the actor wasn’t able to promote the film. Rival studios called Friday’s opening of $8.3 million followed by Saturday’s $9.6M from 3,074 theaters very soft. 
By the end of Sunday, the total was only $25M with Sunday’s estimate. Exit polls showed that 54% of the opening weekend audience was male and 62% over 30 years old. Sony now must depend on strong overseas sales for Pelham.
Why studios still cast Eddie Murphy as the lead in a live action film is beyond me, even if it’s a family film. So Paramount’s Imagine That just looks weak all around. It came in 6th with only a $1.8 million debut Friday and $2.2 million Saturday from 3,008 venues. Worse, it’s now a trend that Eddie’s movies can’t open to more than a $6M weekend. (Remember last summer’s other Eddie bomb Meet Dave?) This one did only $5.7M.
Now, for the Top 10:
1. THE HANGOVER (WB) Week 2 [3,355] Wkd $33.4M (-26%), Cume $105.3M
2. UP (Pixar/Disney) Week 3 [3,886] Wkd $30.5M, Cume $187.1M
3. PELHAM 1 2 3 (Sony) NEW [3,074] Wkd $25M
4. NATM 2 (Fox) Week 4 [3,365] Wkd $9.6M, Cume $143.4M
5. LAND OF THE LOST (Universal) Week 2 [3,534] Wkd $9.1M (-51%), Cume $34.9M
6. IMAGINE THAT (Paramount) NEW [3,008] Wkd $5.7M
7. STAR TREK (Paramount) Week 6 [2,638] Wkd Est $5.6M, Cume $232M
8. TERMINATOR SALVATION (WB) Week 4 [2,658] Wkd $4.6M, Cume $113.8M
9. ANGELS & DEMONS (Sony) Week 5 [2,436] Wkd $4.2M, Cume $123.3M
10. DRAG ME TO HELL (Universal) Week 3 [2,273] Wkd $3.8M, Cume $35.1M
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The Hangover becoming a blockbuster is a sign of the downfall of western culture.
This was honestly one of the dumbest movies I’ve ever seen.
Why Hollywood fails to learn its lesson of hiring actors whose ROI is on the negative ends is a no brainer
Eddie and Crowe, just to name a few are the likes whose names simply turned off movie-goers. Yet, Hollyland still would want to hire them. Go figure!!
At least Kidman’s overseas ROI is much stronger to justify her fees.
I’m a huge fan of Eddie Murphy, but the preview for Imagine that looked terrible, but heard that it has a nice twist at the end. I just really wish that Eddie would return to the Eddie of the 80′s — 48 hours, etc and I wish that they would finally put Beverly Hills cop 4 on the fast track with Jerry Bruckheimer as producer. This is not the Eddie we all fell in love with.
Without the article here, I had to go to my local theater’s website just now to see if “Imagine That” is playing there and what the hell it is. It is playing there, but I’ve never heard of it… haven’t seen a single trailer on television or ad on the web.
So no great surprise it’s bombing when John and Jane Q. Public out here in the heartland didn’t even know it existed. How irrelevant has Eddie Murphy become when they don’t even bother to promote his films?
I wonder how many people will strain an abdominal muscle or crack a rib from all the forced guffaws during “The Hangover”.
It’s a phenomenon I’ve noticed: whenever a movie is touted for its ribald hilarity, each quip or pratfall elicits this contrived response because, I suppose, many audience members want to be with the “in crowd”, the ones who get it, not a bunch of humorless prudes.
For instance, I saw a scene in a preview where the clueless Zack Galifianakis character asks the desk clerk at Caesars’ Palace if the real Caesar actually stayed there. Mmmmm, I can just hear the hearty bellows of forced laughter over this incredibly stupid line.
Then again, I just might not be cool or hip enough to get it.
Gotta give Nikki credit, she posts the numbers quicker than any other blog/site I know.
How many more Eddie Murphy family film debacles before people realize these films don’t work?
I wonder if Eddie Murphy ever imagines how much better off his career would be if he stopped making these ridiculous family “movies” and returned to the style of comedy that made him who he is… er, who he USED to be. A world where Eddie Murphy is funny again and not a box-office bomb… imagine that, folks. Imagine that.
Moon was sold out at the Friday Arclight 5:30 show. Good movie.
Who would lay out $14 to watch Eddie Murphy’s movies at this point?
Saw interview with jerry stiller re:original. Only did well in
Cities with mass transportation. Is that what
Happened here with east coast estimates? History repeating……
Well, looking on the bright side, at least the stars got their usual fees, 20 million or so. I guess they’re happy.
How fast do you think Eddie Murphy is going to agree to do Beverly Hills Cop 4 now? He needs it in the worst way. Either that, or another Nutty Professor movie.
As for Pelham, I think this movie would have done better in the holiday season, or late summer slot. I would have pushed it back just to see if John would feel up to promoting it by then. Still, if it squeeks out 60 to 70 million domestic, I think that’s okay.
Murphy had better choose his next films wisely. If he doesn’t, he’s going to be starring in direct-to-video flicks.
Pelham does not come across as a must see at the theatre type summer flick. The fall would have been a better time to open the film.
@Sal: No, the Land of the Lost becoming a hit would have been a much bigger sign of the downfall of western culture. Plus, The Hangover is getting good feedback in the UK and Ireland as well, so it just may become a European hit too.
@P: If you’re only going on one tiny scene in a preview, don’t make judgements about the movie. More importantly, don’t judge the people that go to see it. You sound very arrogant, as well as uncool and unhip.
There was no advance marketing here for Eddie Murphy’s movie. Never heard of it until yesterday, when the Washington Post gave it a pretty good review, hidden inside the Style section.
Did Eddie piss someone off?
Why is Eddie Murphy still making movies, and starring in them to boot?
He was over long ago. These foolish studio decisions affect everyone because studios always decree that such and such type of movie is dead instead of admitting they made an error in judgment with casting, etc.
Now what? One wretched “Hangover” replication after another?
“No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of …”
Well, you know the rest.
Maybe audiences don’t want to see old guys.
Maybe they don’t buy old guys in action roles.
Maybe audiences are tired of seeing the same faces over and over and over again.
“Hangover” (not funny, boring, derivative) provided a reprieve from the same old faces over and over and over, as does “Up.”
Perhaps that’s a large reason for the “Hangover” box office numbers. Gotta be.
People can’t be THAT stupid.
Can they?
It will be another close call between UP and Hangover. Hangover had a 3 million lead last Friday and held on by 800k over UP. Now, it only has a 1.5 million or so lead and UP makes most of it’s money on SAT and SUN as do most family films. Nevertheless, both of them should finish around the 30-32 million range, and it’s a coin toss to see who’s no.1. The bottom line for me is that I’m thrilled to see two great films in UP and The Hangover doing remarkably well. For once, quality films are actually being rewarded justly by the moviegoing public
Who or What is Vivendi Entertainment. They released Tennessee last week which was a bomb and they dropped another bomb this weekend with Call of The Wild 3d. Please donate the money you are investing in these garbage projects to charity, much better use.
I don’t who’s picking Eddie’s movies lately, either. His next out should be “1000 Words”, which isn’t Eddie funnyman Murphy either – a movie with a message. He showed so much range in “Dreamgirls” that I’m surprised he’s not taking a more dramatic route. Maybe he owes some movies to these people (Tim Allen in the “Santa Claus” franchise).
I agree with all of the “Hangover” comments. It’s like the kids who grew up on video games and MTV just get stoned and laugh at anything they’re told to.
Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen – take notes…
Just back from the multiplex. Loved the first PELHAM and the remake is quite good. Denzel’s character an improvement on the original (sorry, Walter), Travolta a little over-the-top ala Pacino, but still enjoyable. Audience enjoyed it. With all the kvetching about why-a-remake, I’d bet most under 40s have never even seen the first one.
On to UP. The first 20 minutes or so, the set-up, are magnificent. A model of visual storytelling. The rest is OK, especially if you’re a kid, I guess. Much like how the first half of WALL-E was much better than the second. Not as good as Brad Bird’s INCREDIBLES and RATATOUILLE. But the kids will like it and another smash for Pixar.
“P” is a pretentious snob who probably thinks cinematic comedy died after the heyday of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin! Go back to the art house to watch your black and white short films, P, and leave the commentary on movies that actually seek to entertain to those who are at the multiplex to have a good time and don’t want a profound meditation on the human condition.
The haters will eventually come around and be wholly appreciative of the indisputable fact that The Hangover is an instant genre classic that’s entirely deserving of its phenomenal success. It will probably be the most profitable film of the year relative to production costs, and deservingly so. I’ve honestly never laughed harder at anything in my life anywhere. This is a movie I’ll be quoting affectionately for the rest of my life. I’ve seen it three times already with different people on each viewing and everybody I brought with me loved it just as much as I did. It truly is a comedy where the humor therein gets richer and richer the more you see it.
Sal was alone first in the pack and P joined in later. Maybe their newly formed two man wolf pack should run around the desert together in Las Vegas, looking for strippers and cocaine. Maybe then they’ll get it.