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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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I’m overjoyed that Up is doing so well. That film deserves every single penny.
Pelham, on the other hand…what a MESS.
How…how can The Hangover be number 1? Hollywood has been telling us for years that R-rated movies dont make money and everything has to be PG-13 and star Zac Efron!!! Honestly,I dont care if The Hangover is a good movie or not…I’m just glad an R-rated comedy is doing so well. And as for Eddie Murphy…if they do make a Beverly Hills Cop 4,expect him to be in a fat suit for half the film and then in the second act learn he has a long-lost son….played by Shia Lebeouf. And it’ll be PG-13….and directed by either McG or Brett Ratner. The Heat is on again,Summer of 2011!!!!
I agree with the posters above who said that “Pelham” should have opened at a later time (not summer). I doubt if Travolta’s lack of promotion hurt the film. It just didn’t appeal to me as a summer must-see flick. Besides, I’m not swayed by an actor’s promotion of a film and I doubt if many are either.
Look at Land of the Lost. Will Ferrell promoted the hell out of that movie and it still bombed. Audience-goers, like me, know what films they want to see. We don’t need an actor’s promotion to convince us.
Dance Flick was championed by BRAD WESTON. Imagine that was pushed by BRAD WESTON. GI Joe (future bomb) was greenlit by BRAD WESTON who claimed his father created the toy.
Whose turn is it to go? BRAD WESTON.
How come no one wants to acknowledge the big ass pink elephant in Eddie’s room.
After all of his homophobic rants, he was suddenly suspect himself after being arrested with a tranny in his car. He dodged the rumors and become a recluse, running around with his pack of all male friends.
Then came the mean divorce, the Mel B baby fiasco then a second marriage to Tracey Edmons that lasted three hours!
Eddie ruined his goodwill with America and that’s why no one wants to see his films.
The same people that made Meet Dave also made his next film, 1000 words.
Can’t wait to see the news on that one.
P,
Yes, you’re right hundreds of people in the theater laugh at jokes they see onscreen only to be cool. Never because the jokes made them actually, you know, laugh.
Galafanakis is playing a lovable dumb guy in a role that feels like it was written for Jack Black. (Although its a bit sweeter than that.) Just as the Bradley Cooper role feels like it was written for Vince Vaughn. It may not make you laugh, but humor is always subjective. The idea that people are laughing at his antics to be hip, is one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever heard.
The movie is damn funny. Far from flawless (the Mike Tyson stuff is especially weak) and some jokes fall flat. But a lot of them hit and it’s a fun time at the movies. And that’s all it’s going for. It’s not trying to be hip, nor are the people who go see it (OR God forbid dare to laugh at a silly joke that’s well delivered during the trailer.)
Get over yourself.
What Happens In Vegas, Paul Blart Mall Cop, The Hangover…it’s a race to the bottom and the lowbrow viewing public just laps it up. I don’t blame the studios though. Why bother to make good films when this is what the people want? Just throw a handful of dung against the wall and go with what sticks.
Am at home tonight and saw that The Haunted Mansion on ABC.. did Murphy no favors to run that on the weekend of Imagine That. Any possible thought I had to catch the new flick was immediately quashed after seeing only a few minutes of Haunted Mansion. He’s terrible.. and worse, unfunny.
Maybe studios could reduce their costs (and keep employees who run the business) by paying ‘stars’ less than the insanely over inflated $20 million per pic price.
The Hangover maybe #1 again next week, with Year One and The Proposal opening next Friday.
I’m surprised Phelham isn’t doing better…very surprised. Two of the best male actors…no one does “snarky & crazy” like Travolta (remember FACE/OFF). I don’t know…maybe seeing his face and knowing his heartbreak is something people can’t get past right now.I hope it’s not that people are only interested in toilet humor comedy.
>>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.<<
Forbes recently released their list of 2008′s highest-earning celebrities. Believe it or not, Murphy was ranked 4th!!
http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/09/movies-sandler-depp-business-media-hollywood.html
As for Imagine That, I’d never even heard of it until last week. It’s rare that a major release gets past my radar, but I never even saw a poster or trailer for this one.
Actully, IMAGINE THAT is getting substantially better reviews than most of Murphy’s films- which will probably just discourage him from trying to improve the quality of future efforts, and guarantee his next film will be shameless, desperate pandering.
Saw Pelham 1, 2 3 and it is surprisingly a movie that never lets up from start to finish, it is an enjoyable ride.
Eddie can you please do R rated movies again and make Beverly Hills cop 4 the first one. I saw the preview to Imagine that and I’m sorry I just couldn’t imagine going to see that movie.
Very excited about the proposal next week — I wonder how the sneak peeks did — that’s a rarity these days — the studio must have real faith in this movie and it looks hilarious.
Gonna be a long summer for sony.
“The Taking of Pelham 123″ is a solid summer action flick. Hope good word of mouth will generate some heavy business for this thriller which I enjoyed as much as I enjoyed the original film. About the only thing that disappointed was the last ten minutes of the film. Wish they would have come up with a more clever ending otherwise this is one I would recommend even with the F word being used in just about every sentence and I wonder why the script writer decided to go this route. Oh, well, enjoyable just the same.
Lighten up tightasses. Hangover is funny. You aren’t better than
Anyone else just because you haven’t killed that
Bug up your sophisticated asses. Laugh a little.
Can Denzel act in a movie without Tony Scott?
Sy, since Denzel won both his Oscars working with other directors, I would contend that he can.
Regarding Pelham, never expected to be so entertained. Visually, it was exciting with tons of style. have to say it was one of the most uniquely executed action flicks to come along in a long time. Just read the reviews. It’s style is in a class all its own. Loved it! Travolta rocks as the bad guy…
Eddie doesn’t “pick” his films, he takes what is offered to him from Hollywood… He has never dug in and done the hard work of actually developing vehicles for himself and his total weirdness has made him a non-starter for A list directors who don’t want to deal with his foolishness… Thus, the only work he gets is dumb family films that pay him big bucks, but are artistically vacant… Ironically, his early success has led to his career downfall, it killed any initiative on his behalf to explore his potential… Instead, he has devolved into a Howard Hughesesque recluse who pops up now and again to trade in on his former fame… There continues to be nothing new from him, just more of the same and the public is done being disappointed..
Dumb dudes,
Calling those who can’t swallow the secondhand slop that is Hangover “art house snobs” is a tired cliche. Can’t you even be original in your comebacks? No one said anything about art house cinema.
“Hangover” is hackneyed and you are dumb enough to buy it.
But, hey, there are far more dumb people in the world than not, and the studios know if they aim at your level they will clean up. Meanwhile, this piece of caca is taking up space at the multiplex where maybe a good flick could otherwise sneak through.
Why do they keep paying Eddie Murphy $20 million when his movies are bombing? That’s just a waste of money. Might as well flush it down the toilet. It’s practically the same thing.
I wonder when the last time that the top 6 films were from the top 6 MPAA studios?
If you’ve got children (and I’ve got a bunch) you’ve been seeing trailers for “Imagine That” EVERYWHERE for the past 4 months. I’ve seen the trailer before movies like “Monsters vs. Aliens,” “Earth,” and “UP.” My children watch Nickelodeon and other kid channels, so we’ve seen it on TV too. Sounds like there has just been no advertising in the adult oriented media for this one. I thought it looked horrible, despite the so-so reviews I’m reading for it now. My kids have expressed no interest in seeing it either.
Calling “The Hangover” Low- Brow is like calling ‘The New York Times’ a rag. In a world where ‘Scary Movie’ or ‘Dance Movie’ exist, or let’s face it, anything by the Wayans brother exists – the Hangover is more Dostoyevsky than doo-doo.