"Simpsons" draws crowds as box office surges
The Simpsons joined Hollywood`s list of power families as their big-screen debut conquered the North American box office with weekend sales of $74.04 million, according to final data issued Monday.
Despite -- or maybe because of -- an 18-year run as a TV series on the Fox network, "The Simpsons Movie" drew upon a solid fan base. CinemaScore`s sampling of the opening-weekend audience found that the movie attracted an audience that tilted male (63%) and younger than 25 (59%). 20th Century Fox`s PG-13 release earned an overall grade of A-minus.
The Simpsons easily dominated the frame. Warner Bros.` romantic comedy "No Reservations" made a bid for older women, and checked in at No. 5 with $11.70 million. Director Scott Hicks` PG-rated adaptation of the German film "Mostly Martha" starred Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart. Its audience (63% female, 74% over 25) judged the movie a solid B-plus, according to CinemaScore.
"I Know Who Killed Me," an R-rated thriller, didn`t pick up any traction from the fact that it was frequently mentioned in press reports last week when its star, Lindsay Lohan, was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence and cocaine possession. The Sony Pictures release opened at No. 9 with just 3.51 million. Even more damning, the audience polled by CinemaScore -- which favored females and those under 25 -- gave the movie an F rating.
MGM`s release of the culture clash comedy "Who`s Your Caddy?" the weekend`s final new wide release, squeezed into the 10th slot. The PG-13 "Caddy," the first release from Our Stories Films, a joint venture between BET founder Robert Johnson and the Weinstein Co., scored $2.76 million.
The 108 films tracked this weekend by The Hollywood Reporter grossed a collective $184.7 million, up more than 40% over last year`s $131.3 million, when "Miami Vice" led the field with a $25.7 million bow.
In their second weekend, both Universal Pictures` comedy "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" and New Line Cinema`s musical "Hairspray" held up well. In the second slot, "Chuck" grossed $19.13 million, bringing its domestic total to $71.68 million. In the fourth position, "Hairspray" grossed $15.90 million, bringing its domestic haul to $59.66 million.
In its third weekend, Warners` third-ranked "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" collected $17.73 million as its domestic purse grew to $242.44 million.
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