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Box Office: 'Smurfs' edge out 'Cowboys & Aliens'
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Never underestimate the power of kids to bust a box office. While Jon Favreau's futuristic Western "Cowboys and Aliens" was expected to handily top Friday (July 29) ticket sales, the movie totally got smurfed by, yes, "The Smurfs.""Cowboys and Aliens," which debuted to decent reviews and is led by heavy hitters Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig, grossed just $13 million -- well below estimates. Meanwhile, the Neil Patrick Harris-fronted live action 3-D "Smurfs" redux raked in $13.3 million, according to The Wrap. Not a huge lead, but enough to put cowboys, aliens and Hollywood prognosticators on notice.
So will "Smurfs" keep up the pace and win the weekend or will sci-fi fans (or Harrison Ford fans or Daniel Craig fans) make their mark on Saturday's sales?
We'll be watching.
Meanwhile, the rom-com "Crazy, Stupid, Love" with its ensemble cast of Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore and Emma Stone logged an on-target $6.6 million.
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Photo/Video credit: Photo Illustration (Universal Pictures/Columbia Pictures)
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Smurfs has the 3D going for it which means that parents are paying 2D adult ticket prices for the kiddies. It is also getting close to school and isn't Smurfs the last big little kid movie of the summer? In addition I went to a lot of movies this summer and there was Smurf promotion in front of every movie I saw. Advertising+kids+3D=$$$ My daughter was little at the height of the Smurf craze (had a playset and most of the characters) and even though she wouldn't be caught dead at this movie there have to be enough people in their mid to upper 20s who would check it out.
Cowboys and Aliens is an unknown quantity, a gimmick resting on star power. I'm going to see it but I kinda want to see Smurfs too (for nostalgia's sake).
Nostalgia for the smurfs only gets me as far as a DVD rental to watch with my 5 year old nephew. I'd never pay theater prices for such. Same time, nothing is really known of the plot of Cowboys and Aliens except that it involves cowboys fighting aliens. It really rests too much on its stars.
Next blockbuster: Cowboys and Smurfs.
The Smurf movie is pulling a mild upset this weekend. But anyone who saw the first theatrical trailer for Cowboys & Aliens, knew it looked hokish from the word, go. C & A is going to be a costly flop. And Crazy,Stupid, Love is going to be just meh. The box office is going to need holdovers, Captain America, Potter, and Transformers3, to continue to perform well in order for this weekend to not end up a huge disappointment for Hollywood. All three of those films are capable of having big Saturday and Sunday bounces due to families hitting the theaters on weekends.
i just walked out of seeing Cowboys and Aliens, it was so boring and i almost fall asleep. i love the cast but i just could not take it anymore, so i will not be surprise if the Smurfs win this weekend. :(
C & A wasnt as bad as I thought it would be. Its a decent movie but nothin great at all.
Take out nude scenes and kid's money. It floundered for a reason.
Those are such close estimates I'm not sure how you can pull an article from them declaring Smurfs the victor.
I loved C & A. Great action and visual effects. Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford were great and sold the story. I really liked the story arc of Fords character.
I hope that good word of mouth reviews will get Cowboys and Aliens a better audience. I too was skeptical--sounded like it would be totally stupid--how dare they combine 2 totally different genres that are staples of our history/movie making. Couldn't possibly work! But I thought they pulled it off very well. Think of it as a subtle tongue in cheek blend of "escape/hero" entertainment, with many of our favorite stereotypes from both western and sci-fi flicks. It's a good, fun movie that purposely pokes a little fun at itself and hero movies. It succeeds as a "serious" action/escape movie, that also doesn't take itself too seriously. Go see it without being overly critical or judgmental! Just have a good time! That's the only reason they made this movie!