‘Date Night’ is no one-night stand

This date has gone on a lot longer than expected.

Five weeks after a solid but far-from-spectacular $25-million opening, the Steve Carell-Tina Fey vehicle “Date Night” is showing remarkable resiliency.

Released by 20th Century Fox and co-financed by Dune Entertainment at a cost of $55 million, the comedy has now grossed a total of $86.7 million. This past weekend, its sixth, the movie’s ticket sales declined just 27% to $4 million.

A combination of strong word-of-mouth and appeal to older moviegoers, who often don’t come out on a movie’s first weekend, appears to have driven a much slower-than-average decline in box office for “Date Night.” While most movies end up grossing less than three times their opening weekend take, “Date Night” will end up with a final multiple of nearly four.

Overseas returns have been good as well, particularly given that adult comedies often don’t translate well overseas. “Date Night” has taken in $48.2 million so far from foreign markets, with a strong opening this weekend in France.

— Ben Fritz