The final blockbuster of the summer season got off to a roaring start, taking in $58 million when it opened last Wednesday. I wonder how much higher it would have been had the IMAX theaters been able to open as was originally planned. In any case, it rolled to a decisive victory over the third Ice Age film, of course, it was also the only choice for the weekend on the national scale. It had no competition from any other new releases.
The sixth film in the boy wizard franchise rolled to a take north of $77 million on its way to a five day take of $158 million. Now that is nothing to sneeze at. The movie has received generally positive reviews, and while I did like it, I do not think it was near the best the series has to offer. It slumped due to some weak acting and a screenplay that did not really "nail" it. Still the series has a lot to offer and is definitely worth experiencing on the big screen.
The rest of the box office was pretty steady with most movies holding strong carryover audiences from last week. That is with one major exception. Last week's winner, Bruno, slipped from first to fourth and lost nearly 73% of its revenue. That is just staggering and it makes me wonder if I may be right about Sacha Baron Cohen's comedy having an expiration date. By comparison, Borat took in $26 million its first weekend and $28 million its next and had a pretty regular percentage drop across its run, not being quite as precipitous as this. Still, Cohen should be commended for his brave pursuit of extreme comedy blended with social commentary.
Among the returning films I think the biggest story is The Hangover. It fell a mere 17% this weekend as it continues to distance itself from the double century mark. Would you believe, in unadjusted dollars, it is the third highest grossing R-rated movie of all time? I know, I didn't believe it either. It is the biggest R-rated comedy, having bypassed both Wedding Crashers and Beverly Hills Cop, and overall trails only The Matrix Reloaded and The Passion of the Christ. I do not believe it will reach either of those two, but it is still a phenomenal run for a film I did not believe had a chance of getting anywhere near this level of popularity. On top of it all, it is a funny movie.
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