By Scott Bowles, USA TODAYHe's getting older, but Adam Sandler hasn't lost his touch with the goofball comedy.
Sandler's I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry topped the box office on a competitive weekend, bringing in $34.8 million, according to studio estimates from box office trackers Nielsen EDI.
Sandler's I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry topped the box office on a competitive weekend, bringing in $34.8 million, according to studio estimates from box office trackers Nielsen EDI.
CHART: Top 10 weekend films
Chuck met most analysts' expectations and marked Sandler's eighth broad comedy to open with more than $30 million. His biggest debut was 2005's The Longest Yard, which opened at $58.6 million over Memorial Day weekend.
Sandler, 40, remains a critic-proof teenage draw. About 53% of the audience was younger than 25. And although the film earned recommendations from only 14% of the nation's critics, according to RottenTomatoes .com, Chuck was Sandler's ninth film to open at No. 1.
"He has never lost touch with his younger fans," says Nikki Rocco, distribution chief for Universal Pictures, which released Chuck. "He has a lighthearted sense of humor that is always going to appeal to audiences who go to the movies to have fun."
Chuck nudged out Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which dropped 58% from its debut to take second place and $32.2 million. Potter has raked in $207.5 million.
The surprise of the weekend, however, was the strong performance of Hairspray, which took third with $27.8 million. The John Travolta musical eclipsed projections by almost $8 million.
"We thought it would be tough to get the guys in," says David Tuckerman, distribution chief for New Line Cinema, which distributed Hairspray. "But John draws men and women in about everything he does."
Chuck nudged out Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which dropped 58% from its debut to take second place and $32.2 million. Potter has raked in $207.5 million.
The surprise of the weekend, however, was the strong performance of Hairspray, which took third with $27.8 million. The John Travolta musical eclipsed projections by almost $8 million.
"We thought it would be tough to get the guys in," says David Tuckerman, distribution chief for New Line Cinema, which distributed Hairspray. "But John draws men and women in about everything he does."
Transformers was No. 4 with $20.5 million, bringing its three-week total to $263 million. The Disney/Pixar animated comedy Ratatouille was fifth with $11 million. It has done $165.6 million in four weeks.
Ticket sales for the weekend dipped 14% from last weekend but were up 5% from the same weekend last year. Final figures are due today.
1 comment:
Ugh - this is so lame. By all accounts this movie is horrific. Makes me scared for the future if this is what the youth of today finds comical.
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