Last weekend, television series turned movie sensation Sex and the City plummeted 67%, while the other new release from the last frame, The Strangers, also fell by 57%. Taking the place of those R-rated films, both with a more limited audience, are family- and teen-oriented films Kung Fu Panda and You Don't Mess with the Zohan. Both films proved to be potent box office successes, with the potential for a leggy run in the coming weeks.
Kung Fu Panda opened strong with a take of more than $60 million. The animated feature from Dreamworks Animation is an excellent family film that succeeds where other Dreamworks animated features have failed. It moves away from pop culture references and cheap gags and tells a classic coming of age story with style, class, and plenty of humor. The movie also looks great on the giant IMAX screen. I have to recommend that those of you near one avail yourselves of the opportunity to see it. I suspect that this film will have a strong run as we move further into the summer.
Coming in a distant, but still strong, second is the latest Adam Sandler comedy, You Don't Mess with the Zohan. It is a film that is pretty dang funny, but Sandler has something of a polarizing effect on the audience, making its legs a little shakier than Kung Fu Panda's. Still, if you are a fan of Sandler's earlier work (Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison), you will probably enjoy this movie that has Sandler take his stupid comedy to the world stage.
Among the returning films, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Iron Man both continued to have strong showings as they continue on their paths towards $300 million. It is a mark one has to wonder how many more films this summer will cross? I am pretty sure that Pixar's Wall*E will have a good shot at it. Any others? I would like to say Dark Knight, but I have a feeling that will top out around $250 million.
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