Sandler’s Summer Sizzler

The Adam Sandler comedy “Big Daddy” debuted at $41.5 million, the third-biggest opening in the history of Sony’s Columbia / TriStar. Ahead of it on the list are “Men in Black,” which grossed $51 million on the 1997 Fourth of July weekend, and “Godzilla,” which raked in $44 million during last year’s Memorial Day holiday.

It was also Sandler’s best opening. On Nov. 6, “The Waterboy” from Disney’s Touchstone Pictures, grossed $39.4 million on its maiden weekend; Sandler’s “The Wedding Singer” opened to $18.8 million on Feb. 13, 1998.

Unlike some of Sandler’s earlier films--”Billy Madison” and “Happy Gilmore”--that attracted a core audience of teenage boys, “Big Daddy” appealed to a broad cross-section of moviegoers, with women accounting for 51% and men 49%.

“I think the days of Adam Sandler appealing to young males only are pretty much gone,” said Jeff Blake, who heads distribution at Sony Pictures Entertainment. Blake also noted that 40% of the movie’s audience was over age 25.

Overall, the summer’s early films continue to perform strongly, with the recent weekend’s top 12 films grossing $126.6 million, compared to $124.2 million on the same weekend last year.

“If you’ve got the elements to grab their attention, people are going to come out in record numbers,” Blake said. “I think the theater boom we have experienced in the ‘90s shows we can support more than one hit. ‘Big Daddy’ can open to record numbers without it coming out of the pocket of ‘Austin Powers’ or ‘Tarzan’ or ‘The General’s Daughter.’ ”

Weekend Box Office

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Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Big Daddy” $41.5 3,027 1 (Sony/Columbia) $41.5 $13,722 2. “Tarzan” $24.1 3,049 2 (Disney) $77.6 $7,890 3. “Austin Powers” $18.3 3,314 3 (New Line) $150.6 $5,534 4. “The General’s Daughter” $15.2 2,858 2 (Paramount) $46.8 $5,311 5. “Star Wars” $14.1 3,126 6 (Fox) $351.7 $4,514 6. “Notting Hill” $5.5 2,559 5 (Universal) $89.5 $2,160 7. “The Mummy”’ $2.2 1,826 8 (Universal) $146.0 $1,190 8. “Instinct” $1.9 1,814 4 (Disney/Touchstone) $30.7 $1,071 9. “An Ideal Husband” $1.1 122 2 (Miramax) $1.5 $9,339 10. “The Matrix” $1.0 1,139 13 (Warner Bros.) $165.7 $888

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.