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Moviegoers "Launch" McConaughey comedy to No. 1
2006-03-12
"Failure to Launch," a widely panned romantic comedy starring Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker, surprised industry observers by opening at No. 1 at the weekend box office in North America, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday. The film, in which McConaughey plays a 35-year-old man who still lives with his parents, sold about $24.6 million worth of tickets in its first three days. The Paramount Pictures release was expected to open in the mid- to high-teens, below Tim Allen's remake of "The Shaggy Dog," which actually opened at No. 2 with $16 million. There was one other release in the top 10: a remake of Wes Craven's cannibalistic thriller "The Hills Have Eyes" outperformed expectations by opening at No. 3 with $15.5 million, a figure that matched its production budget. After two weeks at No. 1, the slapstick comedy "Madea's Family Reunion" fell to No. 5 with $5.8 million. The Bruce Willis action movie "16 Blocks" fell two places to No. 4 with $7.3 million in its second weekend. "Failure to Launch," which Paramount said cost just over $50 million to make, appealed largely to women and older audiences. McConaughey, a Texan, has a strong fan base in the south and southwest, according to Rob Moore, Paramount's president of worldwide marketing and distribution, while Parker drew the female fans of her former HBO show "Sex and the City." In the movie, she plays a "therapist" hired by the parents of McConaughey's character to charm him into leaving the house. Critics mostly assailed the movie. "'Failure to Launch' stumbles its way to a preordained happy ending without generating either much romance or comedy," wrote Robert Butler of the Kansas City Star. But Moore said it has been a while since a "good old-fashioned date movie" hit theaters, and audiences were willing to overlook the reviews in pursuit of a fun outing. The movie was held back from its original February 10 release date to allow newly installed executives at the Viacom Inc.-owned studio more time to set it up. The film was developed under a regime that has been replaced since early 2005. Walt Disney Co.'s "The Shaggy Dog," in which Allen plays an assistant district attorney transformed into a sheepdog, played almost exclusively to families. Kristin Davis, another "Sex and the City" alumna, plays his wife. The film was originally made in 1959 with Fred MacMurray. Pre-release forecasts indicated the update would open in the $17 million-$18 million range. But Disney domestic distribution president Chuck Viane said the film would hold up well over the next few weeks with schools on spring break. "The Hills Have Eyes," revolving around cannibalistic mutants living in the desert, came in above expectations of $13 million-$14 million, according to its distributor, Fox Searchlight. The opening also ranks as the biggest wide-release start in the News Corp.-owned art-house studio's history, surpassing the $10.7 million bow of the urban comedy "Brown Sugar" in 2002. Fox Searchlight distribution president Steve Gilula said Craven, who served as a producer on the remake, and French director Alexandre Aja created a suspenseful plot, well drawn characters and a plausible back story. After three weeks, Lionsgate's "Madea" has earned $55.8 million, while Warner Bros. Pictures' "16 Blocks" has generated $22.7 million after two. Lionsgate is a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc.
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