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Sunday June 17, 2012

Hollywood B.O. Is Adam Sandler's 15-Year Reign of Terror Over?

Second weekends of “Madagascar 3” and “Prometheus,” hardly the summer's big blockbusters, beat out first weekends of the latest Tom Cruise movie, “Rock of Ages,” and the latest Adam Sandler comedy, “That's My Boy,” which finished third and fifth, respectively.

The failure of the Sandler movie feels like bigger news to me, since the Cruise flick is hardly his flick. He's barely mentioned in the ads. Plus he plays out of character: '80s hairband rock star rather than 21st-century, short-haired action star.

But Sandler? He's going with his usual schtick, playing obnoxious Wazaaaap party dad to an uptight son played by Andy Samberg. Is Sandler's audience growing up? Having kids of its own? Can't get out of the house even on Father's Day weekend? Because they're not there. In 2010, Sandler's “Grown Ups” opened at $40 mil. In 2011, “Just Go With It” (in February) and “Jack and Jill” (in November) opened at $30 and $25 mil, respectively. This one? $13 mil. The only Sandler movies to open lower were '90s movies before he broke big, and his more recent attempts at serious films: “Reign over Me” at $7 mil in 2007 and “Punch Drunk Love,” in 2003, which, seen as a Paul Thomas Anderson movie rather than an A. Sandler movie, opened with $367K.

Both new movies were poorly reviewed, 23% for “Boy” and 42% for “Rock,” while the two returning movies were better-reviewed, 75% for “M3” and 73% for “Prometheus.” But bad reviews never stopped Sandler's fans before. One wonders what's doing it now.

Meanwhile, “Snow White and the Huntsman” grossed another $13.8 m for a total of $122. That's almost twice as much as “Battleship,” in 11th place with $1.2 mil for a total of $62. Anyone see that coming three months ago?

“MIB 3,” in sixth place with $10, is now at $152, while “The Avengers” added another $8.8, and are $13.3 from being the first non-James Cameron film to cross the $600 million domestic barrier.

The second-string numbers here.

The fall of Adam Sandler movies

The fall of Adam Sandler: from $40m in 2010 to $25m in 2011 to $13m in 2011.

Posted at 06:07 PM on Sunday June 17, 2012 in category Movies - Box Office