Ain’t no big surprise The Hangover won again at the box office this weekend, grossing an additional $33.4 mil and bringing its total to $105 mil in just 10 days. I saw it again over the weekend, picked up some stuff I missed the first time and laughed my ass all over again. This is one of those movies that demands repeat viewings. And I can’t wait for the DVD – it’s going to be a keeper.
Right on The Hangover’s heels was Up, which took in another $30.5 mil, bringing its total to $187.1 mil. The openers this weekend, however, did not fare as well. Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 managed third place with $25 mil, while Eddie Murphy’s Imagine That only placed sixth with $5.7 mil. Ouch.
Here’s the top six at the box office this weekend:
1. The Hangover (Warner Bros.) – $33.4 mil; 3,355 theaters; $9,960 PT; $105.3 mil cume
2. Up (Buena Vista) – $30.5 mil; 3,886 theaters; $7,853 PT; $187.1 mil cume
3. NEW! The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (Sony) – $25 mil; 3,074 theaters; $8,133 PT
4. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Fox) – $9.6 mil; 3,365 theaters; $2,853 PT;
$143.4 mil cume
5. Land of the Lost (Universal) – $9.1 mil; 3,534 theaters; $2,590 PT; $34.9 mil cume
6. NEW! Imagine That (Paramount) – $5.7 mil; 3,008 theaters; $1,895 PT
Not sure what Eddie Murphy can do to bring his big-opening status back – besides maybe wearing a fat suit again. That’s disappointing because I thought he did a nice job in Imagine That, a very sweet and unassuming performance, still peppered with some of his signature comedy. Oh well, I’m sure he isn’t hurting, so as long as we keep seeing his face from time to time, it’s all good.
This coming weekend’s lineup is filled with more comedies. Year One looks hilarious, I think mostly because Michael Cera as a deadpan Cro-Magnon is too priceless. You can imagine Jack Black as a raunchy cave dude – a really lame raunchy cave dude, but a cave dude nonetheless – but it’s Cera’s understated delivery that totally makes the movie.
Then there’s Sandra Bullock’s triumphant return to romantic comedy in The Proposal, which should probably be the big winner. She plays a dragon lady business exec, who forces her beleaguered assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her so she can get U.S. citizenship. I hear her nude scene with Reynolds is not to be missed.