Wow. Give America a CGI family film they can get behind and they will come. Either despite or because of the fact that it has the exact same storyline as every other CGI family film, "Kung Fu Panda" whaled on the competition this weekend and waddled off with $60 million. "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" also did very, very well -- $40 million -- and the two new movies combined to give the overall US BO a solid and needed 33% boost over the same weekend last year.
DId the East Coast heat wave have something to do with this? Undoubtedly: If your entire family's tongues are dragging on the ground from humidity, the all-American response is take 'em to the movies, and "Kung Fu" fits the bill for ages zygote on up. ("Zohan" for kids? I don' theenk so. That much raunch -- funny raunch, but raunch -- buckles the edges of an R rating. Personally, as a father, I draw the line at Lainie Kazan's naked tokhes. But that's just me.)
In non-new studio fare, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is settling into a graceful retirement period: 50% off the previous week's take and with a fine $253 million overall gross. "Sex and the City" plummeted 63% in its second week, as the core audience had already been there, done that. The iron man of early summer 2008 appears to be "Iron Man," which is still doing strongly in its 6th week of release -- No. 6 overall, with a still robust $2,500 per theater average at just under 3,000 theaters (compare that with "Prince Caspian," in its 4th week, with $1,800 PTA at just over 3,000 theaters).
One nice surprise is holding steady at #11 on the chart: the itty-bitty but absurdly satisfying indie drama "The Visitor," starring character actor Richard Jenkins in a rare and welcome leading role. Directed by Tom McCarthy ("The Station Agent"), the film cracked the Top Ten for three weeks in late May and is still pulling in two grand per theater its ninth week in release (compare to $844 for "Baby Mama"). Nice guys do occasionally finish first, or close enough for horseshoes. Are you listening, Hollywood? Hello? Anyone?
Speaking of per-theater-averages, the foreign language Oscar nominee from Kazakhstan, "Mongol," opened at 5 theaters over the weekend and made $26,600 at each. Bodes well for the film's roll-out (it comes to Boston June 20) and for fans of old-fashioned epic filmmaking.
Here's the Box Office Mojo chart and here's Leonard Klady of Movie City News.
