It has been the glorious summer of “The Dark Knight” but
other movies are beginning to gain momentum at the North American box office,
one such example being Ben Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder,” which was No. 1 for a
second consecutive weekend, with $16.1 million.
Warner Bros.’ “The Dark Knight” has gracefully rewritten box
office history, amassing an impressive $489 million in six weeks and trailing
behind only “Titanic” as the second-highest grossing film ever in North America.
This weekend however it slipped from last week’s No. 2
position to No. 4, with ticket sales worth $10.3 million.
The champion was “Tropic Thunder,” a Paramount Pictures
release directed, co-written and co-produced by Ben Stiller. He also stars in
the comedy alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black. Tom Cruise has a cameo
that has generated enthusiastic reviews from film critics.
“House Bunny” was next on moviegoers’ list of preferences,
debuting at No. 2 with ticket sales worth a reasonable $15.1 million. The
Columbia Pictures comedy stars Anna Faris as a Playboy bunny who is evicted
from the famed mansion and finds herself the mentor of socially clueless
sorority sisters.
Written by “Legally
Blonde” screenwriters Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah Lutz, the film
co-stars Colin Hanks, Emma Stone, Kat Dennings, Katharine McPhee and Rumer
Willis.
“Death Race” earned $12.3 million over the weekend,
garnering the No. 3 slot for Universal Pictures. The film stars English actor
Jason Statham in a role he has somewhat accustomed us to: that of the smooth
rogue who can drive a car masterfully and get himself out of any sticky
situation while at the same time punishing the bad guys. Joan Allen co-stars as
a villainous character.
As previously mentioned, Chris Nolan’s spectacular “The Dark
Knight” slipped to No. 4 with $10.3 million, while Warner Bros.’ critically
panned animated “Star Wars” movie, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” earned an
estimated $5.7 million in its second week, rounding out the top five.
The remaining five movies are the Judd Apatow production
“Pineapple Express” at No. 6, with $5.6 million worth of tickets sold in its
third week; horror film “Mirrors,” starring Kiefer Sutherland, made $4.9
million in its second week, landing at No. 7, while the biographical sports
film “The Longshots,” starring Ice Cube and Keke Palmer, debuted at No. 8 with
$4.3 million.
“Mamma Mia!” earned another $4.3 million, while “The Mummy:
Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” rounded out the top ten with $4.1 million.
