Although computer animated family movies have proved to be bankable money spinners in the past, the success of Madagascar 3 will surely have taken many of Hollywood’s executives by surprise. Having taken the number one position last week, denying Prometheus a place at the top spot, Madagascar 3 again dominated this weekend, earning another $35 million to add to its current domestic gross of $120.5 million.
This left Prometheus in second position again; its takings were down a somewhat steep 60 per cent on its first weekend’s gross, with ticket sales amounting to $20.2 million, but the sci-fi adventure did enough to retain its spot at number two, seeing off the weekend’s newcomers, Rock Of Ages and That’s My Boy.
Warner Bros no doubt had high hopes for Rock Of Ages, with its star-filled ensemble cast and ties to a popular musical. Unfortunately, those hopes didn’t translate into much cash, with the film earning a tepid $15 million – for a movie with Tom Cruise’s name on the poster, that’s surely a disappointment.
Not as disappointing as the returns for Adam Sandler’s latest bawdy comedy, That’s My Boy, which couldn’t even make enough money to take the fourth place spot from Snow White And The Huntsman. That fantasy epic earned $13.8 million in its third week, while That’s My Boy earned just $13 million on its debut weekend.
This gives Adam Sandler his worst box office performance since 2007’s Reign Over Me – a worrying statistic, since That’s My Boy should be far safer territory than that earlier foray into earnest drama. Did the film's poor notices discourage audiences, or has Sandler's once bankable comedy schtick worn thin? If this week's US box office is anything to go by, he may want to think about starring in a computer animated comedy instead...
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