The Simpsons Movie Brings Big Laughs To The Big Screen
Posted July 29, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s a hit that’s been a long time coming for Hollywood, and over the weekend it finally hit hard.
” The Simpsons Movie” turned doughnuts into dollars in its first stint at the box office, hauling in $71.9 million and locking down the top spot. The loveable and dysfunctional yellow family steamrolled the competition, sending the previous week’s champ, ” I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” into second place after a $19 million second week.
” Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” fell to third place with $17.1 million, raising its total to $242 million domestically after three weeks in theatres. But none could touch Homer, Bart, Lisa and all the other Springfield faithful.
“Homer’s odyssey paid off,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.
“We are ecstatic,” echoed Chris Aronson, senior vice-president for distribution at 20th Century Fox. “It far exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations.”
The animated blockbuster had the fifth best opening weekend of 2007, trumping big titles like ” Transformers,” and the computer-animated ” Ratatouille.”
“It’s unprecedented to have the longest-running sitcom of all time still on the air and have it also be the number one movie in theatres,” Dergarabedian said.
The stellar debut of “The Simpsons Movie” helped propel the summer box office take, with the top 12 films taking in $168.6 million, a 45 per cent bump from the top 12 last year.
Here’s the rest of the weekend’s top 10, with all figures estimated according to Media By Numbers LLC.
1. “The Simpsons Movie,” $71.9 million.
2. “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry,” $19.1 million.
3. “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” $17.1 million.
4. ” Hairspray,” $15.6 million.
5. ” No Reservations,” $11.8 million.
6. “Transformers,” $11.5 million.
7. “Ratatouille,” $7.2 million.
8. ” Live Free or Die Hard,” $5.4 million.
9. ” I Know Who Killed Me,” $3.4 million.
10. ” Who’s Your Caddy,” $2.9 million.
