Monday Morning Box Office: 'Superman' Saves Warner Bros. From Nosediving Into Ground
When life—and doesn't it just seem to always?—gives you lemons, do what we do: roll up your sleeves, paint on a smile, and make "this having to work on Monday thing is really putting a damper on my long weekend plans"-ade! To help you sweeten that sour nectar, some high fructose box office numbers:
1. Superman Returns—$52 million
That sum refers only to the fusty, traditional weekend numbers, but for its seven-day opening weekend take, Superman is on track to hit $110 mil. That's a number that has Warner Bros. execs, still wringing their underthings after the capsized bath they took on Poseidon, exhaling in relief. Analysts are crediting both a genuine fondness for the long-absent character, as well the organization of grassroots, The Passion of the Christ-style bussing campaigns to fill seats, with Christians, Jews and Gays pouring out of touring coaches and into multiplexes in support of their anointed Chosen Son. Inside, awed by the exalted presence of Brandon Routh's sizable (but not jarringly so) package and Kate Bosworth's mousey brown perm, the three tribes came together in an unprecedented show of reconciliation and mutual respect. Let the healing begin.
2. The Devil Wears Prada—$27 million
Fox's counterprogramming gamble may turn out to have been the savviest move of the summer, as Prada pulled in numbers previously thought impossible of a chick flick with nary a shirtless Matthew McConaughey in sight. Screenwriters take note: Find a way to work the word "Chanel" into the title of your searing Iraq war drama, you could be looking at a six-figure sale.
3. Click—$19 million
The supernatural electronic device comedy concept has proven so successful a vehicle for Adam Sandler, rumor has it Jim Carrey has been championing a similar script around town as his possible comeback. The Clapper, the tale of a clownish man who wakes up one day with the ability to "clap" events on and off, could potentially delight audiences the world over by summer 2007.
4. Cars—$14 million
We have to assume the only thing still pulling the crowds into this one is the great word-of-mouth Jeremy Piven is getting for his voice work as Harv, Lightning McQueen's oily, fast-talking, self-serving agent. Here's to avoiding typecasting!
5. Nacho Libre—$6.2 million
We're glad the filmmakers went with Jack Black in the lead instead of their first casting choice, Paul Walker, who, while a gifted physical comedian, just doesn't have the "jiggle magic" required to sell the shirtless, Spandex-clad wrestling scenes.
