Turns out people were in a forgiving mood this weekend…
First off, Marvel Studios’ THE INCREDIBLE HULK, a “reboot” of a thought-dead property (given the overwhelmingly terrible reception Ang Lee’s 2003 version received), kicked, climbed, and pulverized its way to the top – taking that cartoon Panda and breaking him over his f*cking knee for a $54.5 MILLION debut. (Okay, to be fair, that Panda is still kicking ass in his own right).
This wasn’t a huge surprise though, considering Marvel is getting all sorts of good will due to its beloved IRON MAN. It didn’t hurt that recent commercials made it look like Tony Stark is in the movie for more than 1 minute.
The BIG surprise was THE HAPPENING. Even though it only reached third place, it still took in an impressive $30 MILLION. Not bad for a movie that had absolutely terrible reviews, bad buzz, and a few hilariously ridiculous clips floating around the ‘net… But it looks as if Fox’s marketing campaign – positioning the fact that it’s M. Night Shyamalan’s first “R” rated film – paid off, as it gave the embattled director’s believers – and even some of his detractors – something to cling to and be curious about. The effective commercials made it look creepy and mysterious (why’s that dude laying down in front of his f*ckin’ lawnmower?!) – two words that, when coupled with Shyamalan’s name – apparently still entice audiences…
That said, I expect this movie to DROP LIKE A STONE in its 2nd weekend, as the word-of-mouth is fairly poisonous (I’m talking a 60-70% drop). Since the budget only cost around $60 million, this should make a profit for Fox once it hits DVD… As for Shyamalan’s “name”, well, that may or may not survive this flick. His next is a PG film called AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER, and it seems like an even greater step away from what he usually does. That might just be what the man needs at this stage of his tumultuous career.
Final note: THE STRANGERS is still going damn strong, kidnapping another $4 million to bring its impressive cume to $45 million. For an R-rated horror flick in the early summer – and one that cost approx. $9 mil – that’s pretty swell. (Pretty good time to be Liv Tyler, eh?)
Here are the weekend estimates:
1. The Incredible Hulk $54,538,000
2. Kung Fu Panda $34,321,000
3. The Happening $30,500,000
4. You Don’t Mess with the Zohan $16,400,000
5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull $13,547,000
6. Sex and the City $10,185,000
7. Iron Man $5,130,000
8. The Strangers $4,097,000
9. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian $3,004,000
10. What Happens in Vegas $1,700,000
Liv’s sittin’ pretty with TWO flicks in the Top Ten!
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