LOS ANGELES — Two A-list stars failed to attract moviegoers to the box office last weekend, as a musical featuring Tom Cruise and a comedy starring Adam Sandler lost out to Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.
The animated 3-D picture centering on a band of zoo animals was the No. 1 pick for the second consecutive weekend, grossing an additional $34 million, according to an estimate from distributor Paramount Pictures.
But Rock of Ages, a star studded film based on a Broadway production, and That’s My Boy, Sandler’s first R-rated comedy in years, both disappointed at the box office. The musical starring the likes of Cruise, Russell Brand and Alec Baldwin debuted with an underwhelming $14.4 million, while That’s My Boy started off with a weak $13.5 million.
Heading into the weekend, pre-release audience surveys had indicated that each film would gross at least $20 million apiece. Instead, they fell behind last weekend’s runner-up Prometheus, which took the No. 2 spot again with $21 million.
Those who did turn up to see Rock of Ages last weekend were mostly women, as the film attracted a 62 percent female crowd. Roughly 74 percent of the audience was over the age of 25, indicating that the movie appealed to those familiar with the ’80s music featured in the picture. Though the picture received largely negative reviews, moviegoers assigned it an average grade of B, according to market research firm CinemaScore.
Rock of Ages, which was produced by Warner Bros.’ New Line label for $75 million, stars Cruise as a boozes willing, sex-obsessed hair rocker. The role was meant to continue to show off theactor’s lighter side, which he first gave a glimpse of as an obnoxious studio executive in 2008’s Tropic Thunder.
However, it appears that audiences prefer Cruise as an action star: His last film, Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol, in which he scaled buildings and brandished weapons, grossed an impressive $693 million worldwide last year. But 2010’s Knight & Day, an action film with strong comedic overtones, didn’t fare nearly as well, collecting $261.9 million globally.
Meanwhile, That’s My Boy is one of the poorest opening weekend results ever for Sandler. The movie, in which he plays a man-child of adad trying to reconnect with his son - played by Andy Samberg - is only the third R-rated comedy the actor has ever appeared in. While Sandler made his name on raunchy comedies such as Billy Madison and The Waterboy, in recent years his brand has become far more sophomoric. The majority of his PG-13 rated comedies, including Just Go With It and Grown Ups, have collected more than $100 million in the United States.
The movie could suffer from poor word-of-mouth, as those who saw it last weekend gave it an average grade of B-minus. The film appealed slightly more to men but failed to attract a strong contingent of young moviegoers, as 48 percent of the crowd was over the age of 25.
Men in Black 3 surged past the $500 million milestone at the worldwide box office last weekend. The third installment in the franchise starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones has already grossed $391.6 million overseas from 79 foreign countries, performing best in Japan and Russia. Combined with the film’s domestic tally of $153 million, the movie has now collected $544.3 million.
MovieStyle, Pages 32 on 06/22/2012