Friday Box Office: Ferrell Flops! Semi-Pro Dribbles To Disappointing $14.3M Weekend

Will Ferrell’sSemi-Prohas tanked, ending a disastrous week for New Line. Not only did the studio cease business as a full-fledged studio on Thursday, now its 70’s-style basketball comedy managed only $5M on Friday, and it is likely headed for a meager $14.3M for the weekend. That would make Semi-Pro only the 9th-best opening of Farrell’s career.

ALL-TIME TOP 10 WILL FERRELL LIVE ACTION OPENINGS

1. Talladega Nights – $47M

  1. Blades of Glory – $33M

3. Elf – $31.1M

4. Anchorman – $28.4M

5. Kicking & Screaming – $20.15M

6. Bewitched – $20.13M

7. Old School – $17.4M

8. Zoolander – $15.5M

  1. Semi-Pro – $14.3M (estimate)

10. Stranger Than Fiction – $13.4M

The failure of Semi-Pro puts an exclamation point at the end of a long losing streak for New Line that has resulted in Time Warner’s decision this week to fold it into Warner Bros. Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne have been sent packing after a stretch that has included bombs like Rendition ($9.7M cume), Martian Child ($7.5M cume), The Last Mimzy (directed by Shaye himself and generating only $21.4M domestic), Over Her Dead Body ($7.49M cume to-date) and the high profile mega-budgeted The Golden Compass ($70M cume).

Sony’s Vantage Point grabbed another $3.8M on Friday, and the assassination thriller should finish its 2nd weekend with about $12M, good for 2nd place. The studio gambled by releasing this high-end commercial film with an A-list cast on Oscar weekend, and it has paid off. Vantage Point will have banked an estimated $40M by Monday morning.

The Other Boleyn Girl, another Sony film, has debuted solidly on 1,166 screens, delivering $2.9M on opening day for a $2,487 PTA. This Natalie Portman-Scarlett Johansson bodice-ripper, based on Philippa Gregory’s best selling novel, will likely finish the frame with a more-than-respectable $8.5M.

Holdovers Jumper (Fox) and The Spiderwick Chronicles (Paramount) finished 4-5 on Friday with $2.1M and $1.8M respectively. Family audiences will lift Spiderwick to #4 with $8.1M for the weekend and a new cume of $54.4M compared to an estimated $7.5M for Jumper with a new cume of $66.7M.

Penelope, the well-reviewed fairy tale being released by Summit Entertainment, has failed to connect with audiences. Despite the presence of Golden Globe nominees Christina Ricci and James McAvoy and Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, the fantasy yarn only delivered $1.1M to start the weekend. Penelope will likely finish the weekend at #10 with $3.1M.

Of the 8 limited specialty releases, Bonneville (Sen Arts/Scranton Lacy Films) appears to be the most successful. With a cast that includes Kathy Bates, Jessica Lange, Joan Allen and Christine Baranski, Bonneville is drawing an older audience at 101 locations. The movie sold $53,000 in admissions on Friday, and it’ll finish just over $185,000 for the weekend.

Best Foreign Language Film Oscar winner The Counterfeiters (Sony Classics) looks like the PTA winner for the weekend at 18 locations. It delivered $3,333 per screen on Friday and a probably $13,000 or so for the weekend. The Other Boleyn Girl will likely finish #2 on the weekend PTA scoreboard.

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY FRIDAY ESTIMATES

  1. NEW â€" Semi Pro (New Line) – $5M – $1,602 PTA – $5M cume

  2. Vantage Point (Sony) – $3.8M – $1,206 PTA – $31.8M cume

  3. NEW â€" The Other Boleyn Girl (Sony) – $2.9M – $2,487 PTA – $2.9M cume

  4. Jumper (Fox) – $2.1M – $671 PTA – $61.3M cume

  5. Spiderwick Chronicles (Paramount) – $1.8M – $493 PTA -$48.1M cume

  6. Step Up 2 the Streets (Disney) – $1.65M – $654 PTA – $44.5M cume

  7. Fool’s Gold (Warner Bros) – $1.28M – $453 PTA – $55.6M cume

  8. NEW â€" Penelope (Summit) – $1.1M – $920 PA – $1.1M cume

  9. Definitely Maybe (Universal) – $995,000 – $455 PTA – $24.2M cume

  10. No Country For Old Men (Miramax) – $925,000 – $454 PTA – $66.5M

  11. Juno (Fox Searchlight) – $850,000 – $521 PTA – $132.6M cume

  12. Be Kind, Rewind (New Line) – $675,000 – $833 PTA – $5.7M cume

  13. Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins (Universal) – $620,000 – $445 PTA -  $37.1M cume

  14. The Bucket List (Warner Bros) – $445,000 – $284 PTA – $86.3M cume

  15. There Will Be Blood (Paramount Vantage) – $395,000 – $317 PTA – $36.4M cume

*In Bruges (Focus) – $187,000 – $806 PTA – $3.1M cume

*The Band’s Visit (Sony Classics) – $67,000 – $1,136 PTA -      $521,000 cume

*The Counterfeiters (Sony Classics) – $60,000 – $3,333 PTA – $205,000

*NEW â€" Bonneville (Sen Arts/Scranton Lacy Films) – $53,000 – $525 PTA – $53,000 cume

*NEW â€" City of Men (Miramax) – $37,000 – $493 PTA – $37,000 cume

*NEW â€" Chicago 10 (Roadside Attractions) – $11,000 – $786 PTA – $11,000 cume

*NEW â€" Contre-enquete (Counter-Survey) – $1,400 – $467 PTA – $1,400 cume

*NEW – The Lost (Anchor Bay) – $1,169 – $1,169 PTA – $1,169 cume

*NEW â€" The Unforeseen (Cinema Guild) – $1,086 – $1,086 PTA – $1,086 cume

*NEW â€" Romulus, My Father (Magnolia) – $280 – $140 PTA – $280 cume

*NEW â€" Vivere (Regent Releasing) – $221 – $221 PTA – $221 cume

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY 3-DAY ESTIMATES

  1. NEW â€" Semi Pro (New Line) – $14.3M – $4,582 PTA – $14.3M cume

  2. Vantage Point (Sony) – $12M – $3,810 PTA – $40M cume

  3. NEW â€" The Other Boleyn Girl (Sony) – $8.5M – $7,290 PTA – $8.5M cume

  4. Spiderwick Chronicles (Paramount) – $8.1M – $2,217 PTA -$54.4M cume

  5. Jumper (Fox) – $7.5M – $2,398 PTA – $66.7M cume

  6. Step Up 2 the Streets (Disney) – $5.5M – $2,176 PTA – $48.3M cume

  7. Fool’s Gold (Warner Bros) – $4.5M – $1,582 PTA – $58.8M cume

  8. No Country For Old Men (Miramax) – $3.33M – $1,635 PTA – $68.8M

  9. Juno (Fox Searchlight) – $3.14M- $1,928 PTA – $134.9M cume

  10. NEW â€" Penelope (Summit) – $3.1M – $2,592 PTA – $3.1M cume

  11. Definitely Maybe (Universal) – $2.98M – $1,364 PTA – $26.2M cume

  12. Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins (Universal) – $2.23M – $1,602 PTA -  $38.7M cume

  13. Be Kind, Rewind (New Line) – $2.19M – $2,708 PTA – $7.22M cume

  14. The Bucket List (Warner Bros) – $1.62M – $1,038 PTA – $87.5M cume

  15. There Will Be Blood (Paramount Vantage) – $1.54M – $1,234 PTA – $37.5M cume

*In Bruges (Focus) – $720,000 – $3,103 PTA – $3.7M cume

*The Band’s Visit (Sony Classics) – $295,000 – $5,000 PTA -      $749,000 cume

*The Counterfeiters (Sony Classics) – $235,000 – $13,056 PTA – $380,000

*NEW â€" Bonneville (Sen Arts/Scranton Lacy Films) – $185,500 – $1,837 PTA – $185,500 cume

*NEW â€" City of Men (Miramax) – $133,200 – $1,776 PTA – $133,200 cume

*NEW â€" Chicago 10 (Roadside Attractions) – $35,000 – $2,500 PTA – $35,000 cume

*NEW â€" Contre-enquete (Counter-Survey) – $5,000 – $1,667 PTA – $5,000 cume

*NEW â€" The Unforeseen (Cinema Guild) – $3,800 – $3,800 PTA – $3,800 cume

*NEW – The Lost (Anchor Bay) – $3,700 – $3,700 PTA – $3,700 cume

*NEW â€" Romulus, My Father (Magnolia) – $1,000 – $500 PTA – $1,000 cume

*NEW â€" Vivere (Regent Releasing) – $729 – $729 PTA – $729 cume

*NEW – Beyond Belief (Film Sales Company) – $704 – $704 PTA – $704 cume

Read More atFantasy Moguls.