The big surprise this week was that a Disney dance movie with relative unknowns just missed out on beating the titan that is Will Ferrell in his second round. "Step Up", whose cast includes the likes of rising "She's The Man" hottie Channing Tatum, took in a stellar $21 million despite poor reviews. At a budget of $12 million, it just goes to prove that Disney's marketing department is damn smart (well done Mr. Pan).
The most interesting performer this weekend is Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center". Having opened on a Wednesday, it couldn't hit the top spot this weekend. Yet the haul has been solid, and this is also the kind of film that could have legs. Ferrell's comedy "Talldega Nights" slipped along expected lines, those NASCAR dads having gotten their fill, with a drop of 51%. Nevertheless, the film will easily break $100 million in the next day or two.
Japanese horror film remake "Pulse" earned along expected lines with $8.5 million. One of the worst reviewed films of the year, it looks likely to pretty much vanish by next weekend. Last weekend's "The Descent" fell an average 48% and will probably have longer legs thanks to better reception.
The bomb this week was Sony's superhero family comedy "Zoom", the film made famous more for a lawsuit than anything else. Maybe it was the similarities to last year's dud "Sky High", maybe its just that people are sick of comic book-like movies, whatever the case the film utterly bombed on opening with a mere $4.6 million.
Last week's CG comedy "Barnyard" held surprisingly well with a drop of a mere 36%, whilst the "Pirates" sequel looks set to cross the $400 million mark by this time next week. On the limited release front, only the Ryan Gosling Sundance drama "Half Nelson" made a splash with a strong $27,450 per screen take in two theatres. "Little Miss Sunshine" continues to shine too with $16,993 per screen on 153 playdates.
