To the surprise of no one, "The Simpsons Movie" finished No. 1 at the box office this weekend, taking in a good $71.9 million. With Friday's opener of $29.4 million, it was assured a good showing.
There was a smart marketing campaign by Fox (NWS-A) as they held back everything until Thursday and Friday so none of the story was let out to the media, creating more pent up demand for the fans. It worked great as the average per showing was $18, 320.
It also broke a record for an opener based on a TV series, beating out the recently released Transformers which opened at around $70 million several weeks ago.
With costs estimated at $65 million, we know Fox is happy with this strong start. It will be interesting to see how strong it can hold next weekend, as the summer hasn't been kind to blockbuster films the second time around.
Another strength of the franchise is its worldwide appeal, which should make it a huge hit a profitable endeavor for the studio.
"I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" was the No. 2 movie for the weekend, come in with an estimated $19.1 million. It dropped only 44%, the usual for a movie, contrary to the big drops the blockbusters experienced so far. It probably held stronger because of the many Simpson venue's that were sold out.
Dropping to third this weekend was "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, falling by 48% over last week. It grossed around $17.1 million in its third time around.
So far the film has scored $241.8 million, which should bring it close to "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire."
Weekend Box Office Top Ten:
| 1 | The Simpsons Movie | $71,850,000 |
| 2 | I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry | $19,063,000 |
| 3 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | $17,065,000 |
| 4 | Hairspray (2007) | $15,550,000 |
| 5 | No Reservations | $11,755,000 |
| 6 | Transformers | $11,524,000 |
| 7 | Ratatouille | $7,234,000 |
| 8 | Live Free or Die Hard | $5,350,000 |
| 9 | I Know Who Killed Me | $3,400,000 |
| 10 | Who's Your Caddy? | $2,900,000 |
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