Has Ferrell Fatigue Set In at Box Office?

PopEater
posted: 56 DAYS 22 HOURS AGO
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This weekend's box office numbers had nothing but bad news for Will Ferrell and Universal Pictures. 'Land of the Lost,' a big-budget comedy based off the 70s television show, earned a mere $19.5 million for it's opening weekend -- a woeful start for a movie that cost an estimated $200 million.
The movie failed to attract any particular audience and was poorly received by critics. Following extensive promotion that included multiple TV plugs from Ferrell, it's a downright disaster for what was supposed to be a summer blockbuster.
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Instead, audience members flocked to see 'The Hangover,' a Las Vegas bachelor-party-gone-wrong comedy from 'Old School' director Todd Phillips. The movie earned an estimated $45 million, priming it to be a summer sleeper hit. Proving that audiences still love frat party gags and general silliness -- which 'Land of the Lost' delivers in spades -- it's clear by the numbers that they'd rather be checking out new and novel comic actors like Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis than continue seeing similar gags from Ferrell.
The R-rated 'Hangover' also earned more than Disney-Pixar's animated 'Up,' which held the number one slot last week.
Entrusting the fate of 'Land of the Lost' to Ferrell's box office draw may have been Universal's albatross. By attempting to ride Ferrell's star power, promotion failed to hype up the strange and spectacular creatures, dinosaurs and landscapes that may have drawn in a bigger, younger audience. Losing much of Ferrell's reliable male audience members to the drinking and drugging of 'Hangover' certainly didn't help, either.
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Ferrell's most successful movie opening to date was 2006's 'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,' which grossed $47 million during it's opening weekend. His 2007 ice skating comedy 'Blades of Glory' was also an instant hit, and grossed $33 million during it's opening, and a whopping $118 million while in theaters. Last year's 'Step Brothers' squeaked into the $100 million gross category as well.
But 2008's basketball comedy 'Semi-Pro' only saw $15 million after it's opening weekend and a mere $33 million overall. Maybe that was the first sign that audiences may have seen enough of Will Ferrell playing a wacky-but-lovable goofball trying to achieve some far-fetched goal or avoid an impending catastrophe. After 'Land of the Lost,' it seems only reasonable that it might be time for Ferrell to spice up his repertoire.
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2009-06-08 11:46:51
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