Women can be friends? And police officers? What madness is this!?
Only the madness of THE HEAT, the buddy-cop comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, proving that women also enjoy going to the cinema on top of everything else that’s completely ordinary and acceptable in society but which for some reason is ignored on the big-screen.
Pulling $40 million over its launch weekend, THE HEAT earned itself a healthy second place, giving Bullock, McCarthy and BRIDESMAIDS director Paul Feig their biggest ever openings. It hasn’t been a particularly generous summer for female audiences, so the irresistible quality of Bullock married to McCarthy’s fast rising comedy star was always set to do well.
With women making up 65% of the audience ‘well’ it certainly did, and with little and less competition in the coming weeks it’s all but guaranteed to venture North of $100 million before retirement.
It was another good week for Pixar too, with its MONSTERS UNIVERSITY bagging itself a consecutive top-spot with $46.2 million. That’s a drop of 44% off last week giving it a healthy current total of $171 million. As it stands, MONSTERS UNIVERSITY is proving itself to have better (and more) legs than TOY STORY 3 and BRAVE, but with DESPICABLE ME 2 on the horizon it can expect a drubbing next week.
Not such happy times for Sony’s WHITE HOUSE DOWN however, launching into 4th with just $25.7 million after a hopelessly miscalculated release. Being absurdly similar to the (better performing) OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN, sharing star Channing Tatum’s female fans with THE HEAT and battling with the relatively well-received WORLD WAR Z for the action crowd, it was fighting a losing battle up-hill with roller skates on. Covered in butter. Backwards.
Breaking $100 million is now a very tough ask. Not so much for WORLD WAR Z which picked up $29.8 million for a $123.7 million gross, edging it ever closer to being Brad Pitt’s highest ever grossing movie.
MAN OF STEEL managed to stem it’s hemorrhaging after last week, falling a respectable 50% to $20.8 million for a total domestic gross of $248.7 million. 2nd highest grossing film of the year, behind IRON MAN 3, is all but guaranteed now and it should find itself coming to a halt around the $300 million mark.
Elsewhere, apocalyptic comedy THIS IS THE END added $8.7 million for a current total of $74.7 million (making it likely to beat PINAPPLE EXPRESS) while NOW YOU SEE ME confirmed its ‘surprise hit of the summer’ status by breaking the $100 million barrier with a $5.5 million weekend.
US Domestic Chart (click for our review):
02. The Heat
03. World War Z
04. White House Down
05. Man of Steel
06. This is the End
07. Now You See Me
08. Fast & Furious 6
10. The Internship
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