WILL FERRELL - NEW LINE GOES OUT WITH THE BUZZER

NEW LINE GOES OUT WITH THE BUZZER

Amounting to a case of being kicked while they were down, departing New Line Cinema executives learned Monday that their latest film, Semi-Pro, starring Will Ferrell, had earned just $15.3 million during its opening weekend. The figure was about half what some box-office analysts had predicted the movie would earn. Only last week Time Warner announced that it would be shutting down most of New Line's operations, incorporating them into those of its other film studio, Warner Bros., and laying off some 600 employees, including the studio's co-chairmen. Semi-Pro wasn't the only film that fouled out. In its second week, Sony's Vantage Point slipped to $12.8 million, the only other film to finish in double digits. Paramount's The Spiderwick Chronicles slid to third place in its third week with $8.7 million. Sony's The Other Boleyn Girl opened in fourth place with $8.2 millioin, while Fox's Jumper rounded out the top five with $7.6 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date):
1. Semi-Pro, New Line, $15,075,114, (New); 2. Vantage Point, Sony/Col, $12,819,245, 2 Wks. ($40,823,745); 3. The Spiderwick Chronicles, Paramount, $8,700,378, 3 Wks. ($55,028,942); 4. The Other Boleyn Girl, Sony, $8,203,061, (New); 5. Jumper, 20th Century Fox, $7,568,462, 3 Wks. ($66,790,968); 6. Step Up 2 the Streets, Disney, $5,742,479, 3 Wks. ($48,621,711); 7. Fool's Gold, Warner Bros., $4,418,229, 4 Wks. ($58,800,790); 8. No Country for Old Men, Miramax, $4,114,994, 16 Wks. ($69,680,625); 9. Penelope, Summit Ent. $3,802,144, (New); 10. Definitely, Maybe, Universal, $3,382,005, 3 Wks. ($26,650,585).

04/03/2008