Cowabunga! Simpsons Rule Box Office

Box office performance for latest flick a mystery

(NEWSER) - Though it’s called Funny People, Adam Sandler’s latest film is a bit more serious than his fans are used to—and its opening-weekend performance is a mystery, Variety reports. Forecasts range from just over $20 million to more like $35 million, Audiences loved director Judd Apatow’s prior efforts—which were more upbeat than the R-rated, 2½-hour Funny People. More»

(NEWSER) - Funny People laughed its way to the top of the box office this weekend with $23.4 million, USA Today reports. But that’s less than analysts predicted, and not enough to beef up this summer’s mediocre ticket sales. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince came second with $17.7 million, while G-Force ($17 million), The Ugly Truth ($13 million), and family newcomer Aliens in the Attic ($7.8 million) rounded out the top five. More»

'Avengers' finally falls off the top spot

(NEWSER) - Men in Black: 3 turned out to be much more in the black than The Avengers , winning the three-day holiday weekend with a whopping $55 million domestically and $202 million worldwide. But, notes the Hollywood Reporter , it needs to do well to justify the $230 million Sony spent to make it. The Avengers, meanwhile, pulled in $37 million to put it at a hefty global gross of $1.3 billion. Battleship grabbed No. 3 honors with $10.8 million, while The Dictator took in $9.6 million, and Chernobyl Diaries pulled in $5 million, reports the AP . More»

'Avengers' keeps crushing the competition

(NEWSER) - Battleship barely raised anchor this weekend with a weak $25 million opening that could make it the next John Carter mega-flop. Even the action flick's $226 million international gross won't ease the pain unless domestic interest picks up, says the Hollywood Reporter . Avengers continued to wallop the domestic competition with $55 million, making it the fourth-highest grosser ever. Sacha Baron Cohen's Dictator took third ($17 million), followed by Johnny Depp's Dark Shadows ($12 million) and What to Expect When You're Expecting ($10 million). More»

Marvel-Disney movie shatters domestic box office record

(NEWSER) - The Hunger Games is looking a little anemic this weekend: The Avengers swooped in and grabbed a record-bursting opening weekend of $200.3 million, reports the Hollywood Reporter , easily thumping the $169.2 million that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 took in last year in the previous record holder. The Marvel-Disney partnership is headed quickly for the $1 billion mark, already with $641.8 million globally, and it grabbed the biggest Saturday gross ever, with $69.1 million. "It's been a fantastic weekend on every single front," says a Disney exec. More»