He has the body of an unemployed plumber, but Will Ferrell is a consummate athlete on the big screen.
His latest sports film, Blades of Glory, coasted to the top spot in theaters this weekend with $33 million, according to studio estimates from box-office trackers Nielsen EDI.
The skating comedy, which also stars Jon Heder, marked Ferrell's second-biggest opening behind the stock car comedy Talladega Nights, which opened to $47 million last year. And next year, he'll suit up for Semi-Pro, a comedy about the waning days of the American Basketball Association.
"If paint drying were a sport, Will could probably turn that into a No. 1 movie," says Marvin Levy of DreamWorks, which distributed the film with Paramount Pictures. "A lot of actors can be funny, but they seem to be just a step back from the public," Levy says. "But Will is more like an Everyman people relate to. That's why he can do so many movies and audiences don't get tired of it."
That appears to be particularly true for women, who made up 56% of Blades' audience. Every film, it seems, features at least one shot of Will's flabby torso.
"That should give all of us who don't have six-pack (abs) some hope," Levy says. Before the weekend, Blades was considered in a neck-and-neck race with the animated film Meet the Robinsons. But Robinsons was a distant second with $25 million.
Still, executives at Disney, which released Robinsons, said spring break should give the movie — which played in 3-D in about 15% of the nation's theaters — a healthy run.
"By the end of the week, about 80% of the nation's schools are going to be out for vacation," says Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. "That means every day plays like a Saturday, which is good news for a movie like ours."
300, the stylized story of the battle between the Spartans and Persians, continued its strong run, dropping 43% to take third place and $11.2 million. The R-rated film has done $179.7 million and is the top-grossing movie of the year.
TMNT, which opened at No. 1 last week, fell a hefty 62% to claim fourth place and $9.2 million. Despite the drop, the $35 million animated film already has brought in $38.4 million in 10 days. The John Travolta road trip comedy Wild Hogs also continued to play well; it landed in fifth place more than a month after its release. Hogs made $8.4 million, which brought its total to $135.4 million.
The only other newcomer, the action film The Lookout, did a middling $2 million and 11th place.
"Box Office remains predictable"
1 Comment -
The term "Everyman" just makes me cringe more and more each time.
I'm actually intrigued by the 3D presentation of Meet the Robinsons. The A.V. Club review had some interesting stuff to say.
April 02, 2007 9:55 AM