The 4th of July box office weekend in the US has proven to be an exceptional one for Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment. Their new movie, Despicable Me 2, has built on its success outside of the US last week to become one of the biggest hits of the year on its Stateside debut. It's just amassed the third highest debut ever for the 4th July weekend in America, beaten only by Transformers: Dark Of The Moon and Spider-Man 2. It took $82.5 over the weekend itself, and added to what it'd already earned in North America, its total there stands at $142.1m in less than a week. Gadzookz.
Caught somewhat in the crossfire has been Gore Verbinski's movie of The Lone Ranger, starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer. We're yet to see the movie, but it does seem that some are willing it to fail more than others. It currently has $48.9m in the bank which, while no disaster, is a long way short of what Disney would have wanted for a Johnny Depp-headlined tentpole picture.
Most worryingly for The Lone Ranger, it faces stiff competition next week, as both Grown Ups 2 (nngh) and Pacific Rim (yay) are unleashed in America. That said, both of those films may yet suffer if Despicable Me 2's second weekend hold is a solid one.
Quietly, incidentally, Paul Feig's The Heat has become the kind of movie most studios wish they'd made. Costing under $50m, the Sandra Bullock-Melissa McCarthy headlined movie has $86.3m in the bank and counting...
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The Lone Ranger movie had a horrific early ad campaign, IMHO, which focused on the comedic slapstick of Johnny "Tonto" Depp, and over the top silliness of Armie Hammer. It was also too politically correct in the mind of many potential audience members who consumed the word of mouth buzz from those who had seen it.
By the time the tone changed to the more action packed, blood pumping theme, it was too late.
I am sure that much of the movie was standard popcorn fair that would be acceptable, except that we are talking the Lone Ranger, one of the top American western classic heroes. An opportunity was missed to tell a more serious treatment with some moments of levity verses a parody with some moments of serious beats.
Waiting for it on video, or catching it at a cheap matinee.. maybe.