![]() ![]() However, the weak result extends a punishing period for Sony. "Smurfs: The Lost Village" has a $60 million production budget, a fraction of the previous two entries' price tag. "We delivered a film that I think is the best yet," said Rory Bruer, Sony's domestic distribution chief. The studio is also pleased with the film's A CinemaScore, a sign that audiences are responding to the picture. The studio notes that the previous two films earned more than 70% of their gross from foreign markets. Sony isn't ready to wave the white flag on the Smurfs. Dogged by "whitewashing" controversy after Scarlett Johansson nabbed a part intended for an Asian actress, "Ghost in the Shell" won't stand a chance of recouping its $110 million production budget. The Japanese manga adaptation is shaping up to be one of the year's biggest bombs. Paramount's "Ghost in the Shell" rounded out the top five, grossing $7.3 million to bring its domestic gross to a disastrous $31.6 million. It was a core part of the film's appeal." "The chemistry of the three guys really works together," said Jeff Goldstein, domestic distribution chief at Warner Bros., New Line's studio parent company. The film resonated with older crowds, with 72% of the audience clocking in over the age of 50. It's a low-budget remake of a 1979 comedy of the same name and cost $24 million to produce. The comedy about three retirees who rob a bank stars Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin, and Michael Caine. New Line and Village Roadshow's " Going in Style" took fourth place with $12.5 million. "It's looming large on the horizon," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at ComScore. It should dominate ticket sales, racking up an $100 million debut and keeping Vin Diesel in designer tank tops for the foreseeable future. "The Fate of the Furious," the latest chapter in Universal's long-running chronicle of vehicular carnage, is slated to roar into theaters next Friday. This weekend is something of a throat clearing for the industry. "They should have waited a few weeks to open it," said Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations.īock was ready to write the obituary for the franchise, saying, "A major studio does not open an animated film at $14 million and expect to have a sequel." Disney's " Beauty and the Beast" came in second, pulling in $25 million to push its stateside grosses to a lordly $432.3 million.īox office analysts blame the glut of family titles for hobbling the Smurfs. With the Smurfs failing to generate much excitement, DreamWorks Animation and Fox's " The Boss Baby" captured first place at the North American box office for the second consecutive weekend, earning $26.3 million to push its domestic haul to $89.4 million. The first film, 2011's "The Smurfs," had showed such promise, grossing $563.7 million globally, but interest in the big screen adventures of the creatures has waned with each sequel. The film was an attempt to reinvigorate the series after 2013's "The Smurfs 2" racked up a disappointing $347.5 million on a hefty $105 million budget. ![]() The Sony release opened to a negligible $14.1 million. The cuddly creatures' once-promising film franchise is looking awfully creaky after " Smurfs: The Lost Village" stumbled at the domestic box office this weekend. Other top-grossing "free" games for the iPhone and iPad, including "Tap Zoo" and "Bakery Story," have $99.99 in-game purchase options and lack up-front pop-up warnings.LOS ANGELES, April 9 () - The Smurfs may be feeling kind of blue. "Smurf's Village" is the third-highest grossing game for the iPad. ![]() Previously, the highest two-tap Smurfberries purchase option was a "wheelbarrow" for $59.99. However, Capcom has also made it easier to make a large purchase of Smurfberries in one go. When the game starts up for the first time, a pop-up now warns about the option to purchase Smurfberries and the fact that charges come out of owners' iTunes account, which gets billed to a credit card. Like many other free games, "Smurfs' Village" makes money by selling the virtual goods to advance play.Ĭapcom Entertainment Inc. LOS ANGELES (AP) - The publisher of the popular "The Smurfs' Village" game for the iPhone and iPad has added a warning that virtual items such as "Smurfberries" cost real money - as much as $100 with just two taps on the screen.Īn Associated Press story earlier this month revealed how easy it is for kids to buy such virtual items and have them billed to their parents without their knowledge. ![]()
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