Though performing worse than Judd Apatow's biggest weekend debut, the film about lonely comedian dealing with a terminal disease manages to secure the top slot at North American box office.
- Aug 3, 2009
AceShowbiz - "Funny People" has taken over the #1 spot at North American box office from "G-Force". Debuted on Friday, July 31 on approximately 4,100 screens at 3,008 sites, the Judd Apatow's thoughtful dramedy movie generated $22.7 million worth of ticket sales over the three-day weekend.
Despite the fact that the movie nabbed the top slot, its performance was far from impressive. The $20 million plus bow is far lower than the debut of Apatow's "Knocked Up" which collected $30.7 million in 2007. While its earning was better than "The 40 Year-Old Virgin", "Funny People" was still behind "Virgin" in terms of attendance. The figure also marked lead actor Adam Sandler's worst opening for a comedy since his 2000 "Little Nicky".
"This is Adam and even Judd to an extent stretching out in their careers to something that's a bit out of the norm," Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, commented. "A big movie star in a different kind of role." Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo, chimed in, "For the type of movie it is, it did OK. It's not a broad human comedy like 'Knocked Up' or 'The 40- Year-Old Virgin.' It's basically a navel-gazing comedy: comedians looking at comedians."
"Funny People" aside, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" was steadfast in holding its runner-up position for two straight weekends. Supported by its IMAX sales, this sixth installment of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series took $17.9 million in receipts in its third week in theaters. So far, the Daniel Radcliffe-starring adventure fantasy has collected $255.7 million in total.
Trailing close behind "Half-Blood Prince" in third place was last week's champion "G-Force". The Walt Disney Pictures' live action and computer-generated animation family feature faced a 44.8|percent| drop in ticket sales and only reeled in $17.5 million. The figure added to the film's two weeks cum of $66.9 million.
The fourth place belonged to "The Ugly Truth". The romantic comedy toplined by Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler raked in $13.2 million, a 52.2|percent| drop, in its second week. Rounding up the top five was newcomer "Aliens in the Attic". The family fantasy movie starring "High School Musical" star Ashley Tisdale pulled in $8 million over its opening weekend.
Top Ten Movies at Weekend Box Office for July 31 - August 2:
- "Funny People" - $22.7 million
- "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" - $17.9 million
- "G-Force" - $17.5 million
- "The Ugly Truth" - $13.2 million
- "Aliens in the Attic" - $8 million
- "Orphan" - $7.5 million
- "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" - $5.5 million
- "The Hangover" - $5.2 million
- "The Proposal" - $4.9 million
- "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" - $4.7 million
