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Same old fun from Will Ferrell but his newest comedy, New Line Cinema’s “Semi-Pro,” performed a semi-fail at the North American box office this weekend, grossing a below-expectations $15.3 million.
Sports spoof “Semi-Pro” opened at theaters across the U. S. and Canada Friday with enthusiastic marketing and modest scores on review aggregators Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic but attracted smaller crowds than anticipated.
“Semi-Pro,” directed by Kent Alterman and starring Will Ferrell, Andre Benjamin and Woody Harrelson, earned the No. 1 spot on the North American box office by selling tickets worth an estimated $15.3 million, according to data tracker Media by Numbers.
Topping the chart is no triumph for the film though, or the studio backing it, as this weekend’s results were the poorest in some three months. They were also quite low compared to Ferrell’s previous movies, such as sports comedies “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” which opened with $47 million and “Blades of Glory,” which took off with $33 million.
Following “Semi-Pro” on the charts is Sony Pictures’ political thriller “Vantage Point,” which debuted on Feb. 22 and earned another $13 million this week. Paramount Pictures’ family fantasy “The Spiderwick Chronicles” took third place, with ticket sales worth an estimated $8.8 million.
Both “Semi-Pro” and “Vantage Point,” directed by Pete Travis and starring Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox, were rated by the MPAA as requiring parental supervision. The first was rated R for language and some sexual content, while the latter was rated PG-13, for sequences of intense violence and action, disturbing images, and brief strong language.
“The Other Boleyn Girl,” another heavily promoted release, this time a co-production with Relativity Media and Universal Pictures’ Focus Features division, placed fourth with $8.3 million, according to studio estimates.
The historical drama stars Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson and Eric Bana. This too was rated PG-13.
20th Century Fox’s science-fiction thriller “Jumper” slipped to No. 5 with an estimated $7.6 million, while Buena Vista’s “Step Up 2 the Streets,” dance sequel to the 2006 movie “Step Up,” took in another $5.7 million, ranking sixth.
The Matthew McConaughey-Kate Hudson romantic comedy “Fool’s Gold” grossed an estimated $4.7 million for Warner Bros., followed by Summit’s release “Penelope,” starring Christina Ricci.
The fairytale flick debuted at No. 8, with an estimated $4 million. The PG-rated “Penelope” represents Reese Witherspoon’s producing debut. She also co-stars, alongside James McAvoy and Katharine O’Hara.
Academy Award winner “No Country For Old Men” climbed back into the top ten, with an additional $4 million, while fellow Oscar victor “Juno” rounded up the top ten with an estimated $3.5 million.
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