As sure as Flower Kid's affection for Megan Fox, America this weekend declared its unwavering love for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Its opening crushed every competitor in sight, bowing only to The Dark Knight among the biggest five-day grosses ever. But a few other films managed to draw what scant viewers remained; join me now in commemorating their achievement.
1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Gross: $201,246,000 (new)
Screens: 4,234 (PSA: $26,453)
Weeks: 1
Tacking a three-day total of $112 million to its already robust mid-week gross, RotF will no doubt prompt studio scholars elsewhere to study and replicate the blockbuster DNA herein. But while the profit properties of John Turturro's jock-strapped ass are derived in labs around Hollywood, mad genius Michael Bay is already rumored to be adapting his winning formula for the "small film" he's sought for so long: Mr. Potato Head, a somber character drama eyed as Mickey Rourke's next Oscar vehicle. Always one step ahead, that guy.
2. The Proposal
Gross: $18,466,000 (cume: $69,050,000)
Screens: 3,058 (PSA: $6,039)
Weeks: 2 (Change: -45.1%)
Beset on all sides by the unappealing choices of fanboy or fratboy ecstasy, women continued their mass retreat to this hard-hitting tale of U.S. immigration policy and the washboard abs that dared to defy it.
3. The Hangover
Gross: $17,215,000 (cume: $183,247,000)
Screens: 3,525 (PSA: $4,884)
Weeks: 1 (Change: -35.7%)
Continuing its phenomenal run as the sum-- [MOVIELINE SPECIAL REPORT: We interrupt this box-office update to bring you the tragic news that Billy Mays, the shouty pitchman for OxiClean, Kaboom, Mighty Putty and other infomercial standards, was found dead this morning in his Tampa-area home. He was 50. The cause of his death is not known at this time; no signs of forced entry or foul play were observed by police. One report notes that Mays bumped his head Saturday when his airplane's tire blew during a landing; an autopsy report is forthcoming. Again, Billy Mays, dead at 50. We return to you now to our regularly scheduled Weekend Receipts programming. THIS HAS BEEN A MOVIELINE SPECIAL REPORT] --lieve me, those are only a handful of the great ideas Warners has planned for the sequel. Watch this space for more!
4. Up
Gross: $13,046,000 (cume: $250,218,000)
Screens: 3,487 (PSA: $3,741)
Weeks: 1 (Change: -44.5%)
Congratulations to Pixar for releasing the summer's first film to reach the $250 million plateau. Alas, Carl Fredricksen's airborne balloon cluster has no line of defense against the prankster jivebots on their way with weapons.
5. My Sister's Keeper
Gross: $12,030,000 (new)
Screens: 2,606 (PSA: $4,616)
Weeks: 1
The Cameron Diaz film's first-week gross may look anemic at a glance. However, when taking into account Warner Bros.' inability to secure any IMAX screens opposite Transformers -- thus negating the weepie's aggressively marketed tagline, "From the director of The Notebook comes seven stories of sad" -- this is definitely a number to build on.
[Figures: Box Office Mojo]