It was bound to happen. Eventually a movie was going to step up and knock The Dark Knight off of its perch atop the box office charts. It was expected to be a dramatic race to the finish when The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor opened; however, that just turned into a relatively easy win for Batman as the three-quel opened to less than stellar reviews and faded at the box office. Then it was surmised that the stoner comedy Pineapple Express would take the crown, but that did not happen either. So, what was the film to unseat the Knight? Tropic Thunder, of course.
Now, the victory was not quite as dramatic as it would have been a few weeks ago, but it finally happened. At this point, The Dark Knight is still pulling in crowds and suffering smaller percentage drops than anyone would have anticipated, but it is inevitable that the box office will drop, theater counts will fall and it will eventually give way to other films. If nothing else, it may go away, but it will leave a lasting mark on the box office. It is currently the second biggest domestic hit of all time, having just passed Star Wars. Sure, it will not come close to Titanic's record and when grosses are adjusted it falls much farther down the list, but it is still quite an accomplishment, one that no one saw coming.
As for the film that did take the top spot, Tropic Thunder, it did it in definitive fashion, but it failed to live up to studio expectations, which were in the $40 million range. As for the film itself, I found it to be absolutely hilarious. The movie is a smart satire that targets the movie industry as much as it is a straight action comedy. It is intelligent enough to work on both levels.
Tropic Thunder was one of four new films to enter the top ten this week. Coming in third place is the very first animated take on Star Wars to reach the big screen. Star Wars: The Clone Wars arrived to poor critical word, but it is not nearly as bad as those reviews would have you believe. It is not great by any stretch, but it is entertaining. Hopefully when the series that it launches begins, it will only go up.
Next up is Mirrors in fourth place. The horror film from director Alexandre Aja (Haute Tension) is filled with creepy atmosphere and little else. If you are a horror junkie or a Kiefer Sutherland fan, by all means go check it out, otherwise I would have no problem recommending that you wait for DVD. I suspect this will fall off in short order.
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