Funny People Wins Slow Weekend

Published by David Pinson on August 2, 2009

Adam Sander’s expression on the poster just about says it all.  Funny People opens to a soft start with an estimated $23.4 million, but the debut was good enough to win a slow weekend at the box office.

The first place finish may seem positive at first, but it’s actually a bit of disappointment for the once reliable Judd Apatow, Adam Sandler, and Seth Rogen.  It also continues Universal’s slow streak, which hasn’t had a hit since early April’s Fast & Furious.  (Though the studio just signed Apatow for another three.)

Apatow’s third directorial effort didn’t open to the kind of opening numbers as his second, Knocked Up ($30.7 million).  It barely beat 40-Year-Old Virgin ($21.4 million), when no one really knew what to expect of him or Steve Carell.  The new dramedy will need to have strong legs through August if it’s going to recoup the excessive $75 million budget and judging from the mixed word of mouth it may not have what it takes.

Most critics and audiences seem to agree the movie is funny at times, but drags on too long.  The 2:20 run time may have hurt the release that only played in around 3,000 locations.  Apatow may have been able to get away with the length for Knocked Up, but this doesn’t have quite the comedy to back it up and an uneven second half takes the cast to a more serious tone.

In second was Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($17.7 million) after finally opening in IMAX theaters.  PG-rated G-Force ($17.1 million) stuck around in third.  The Ugly Truth dropped to fourth with $13 million.

Kid flick Aliens in the Attic was new this weekend and opened to $7.8 million, also below analyst expectations.  The other newcomer, low-budget horror movie The Collector, finished just outside the list at 11th and $3.6 million.

3-Day U.S. weekend estimates:
1. Funny People $23.4 million
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince $17.7 million
3. G-Force $17.1 million
4. The Ugly Truth $13 million
5. Aliens in the Attic $7.8 million
6. Orphan $7.3 million
7. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs $5.3 million
8. The Hangover $5.1 million
9. The Proposal $4.8 million
10. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $4.6 million