Ferrell Leaves Rivals in Dust

“Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” the NASCAR satire starring Will Ferrell, is being advertised as “The story of a man who could only count to #1.”

And the movie lived up to its billing, as dumb guys finished first at the box office over the weekend.

“Talladega Nights” won the weekend derby with a surprisingly strong $47 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. It marked a career high for Ferrell and the eighth No. 1 opening this year for Sony Pictures.

The comedy’s simple concept was its chief selling point, said Rory Bruer, president of domestic distribution at the studio. Some have likened Ferrell’s character to a redneck version of the blissfully clueless TV broadcaster he played in 2004’s “Anchorman.”

“When you think, ‘Will Ferrell as a NASCAR driver,’ doesn’t that just make you laugh? People are having a ball at this one,” Bruer said.

The opening marked a return to box-office form for Ferrell, who, after such hits as “Old School,” “Elf” and “Anchorman,” starred in a trio of films with mixed results last year. “Talladega Nights” was his first No. 1 debut, according to industry tracker Nielsen EDI.

With an audience that was 53% male and 52% under 25, the movie averaged $12,359 at 3,803 theaters.

The picture, which cost $72 million to produce, is sure to be highly profitable for Sony. The studio recently greenlighted another comedy, “Step Brothers,” from “Talladega Nights” collaborators Ferrell, co-writer and director Adam McKay, co-star John C. Reilly and producer Judd Apatow.

The industry continued its overall upswing in ticket sales, showing year-over-year improvement for the third weekend in a row and the 18th in the last 20. Grosses have rebounded 7% year to date from 2005’s slump, and attendance is up 3.8%.

Among a trio of other wide releases, Paramount Pictures’ “Barnyard” fared best, grossing an estimated $16 million to finish No. 2, averaging $4,844 at 3,311 theaters.

That was at the high end of expectations for the animated family film, the third of its genre in a row after “Monster House” two weeks ago and last weekend’s “The Ant Bully.”

“Barnyard” writer-director Steve Oedekerk has a string of comedy hits in his credits, but the film’s prospects were uncertain on the heels of the dismal debut weekend for “The Ant Bully,” which grossed $8.4 million.

“It’s been crowded for animated movies, but we feel fortunate to have some clear air now in the marketplace,” said Don Harris, executive vice president of distribution at Paramount Pictures.

The next scheduled release in the increasingly competitive genre is Sony’s “Open Season,” due Sept. 29.

Among the weekend’s other openers, “The Descent,” Lionsgate’s horror tale about an all-female spelunking trip gone awry, performed about as expected with a gross of $8.8 million, averaging $4,200 at 2,095 theaters.

Miramax’s “The Night Listener,” a dark thriller starring Robin Williams as a talk radio host who forms an on-air friendship with a troubled teenager, met modest forecasts with a gross of $3.6 million, averaging $2,634 at 1,367 theaters.

Sony Pictures Classics’ “Quinceanera,” a Sundance Film Festival sensation set in Echo Park, grossed $92,942 at eight theaters in Los Angeles and New York as it begins a gradual rollout.

Among holdovers, Walt Disney Co.’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” placed third for the weekend with $11 million, bringing its total to $379.7 million after five weeks.

“Pirates” became the eighth-highest-grossing picture ever in the U.S. and Canada, passing “The Passion of the Christ,” “Spider-Man 2” and “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.” It also continued to excel overseas, pulling ahead of “The Da Vinci Code” to become the year’s biggest hit worldwide.

“Pirates” grossed $57 million outside the U.S. and Canada, Disney said, lifting its worldwide total to $772 million. It could become only the third movie to ever reach $1 billion worldwide.

Last weekend’s domestic box-office leader, Universal Pictures’ “Miami Vice,” fell to fourth place in its second weekend with $9.7 million, a 62% drop.

Fox Searchlight’s indie hit “Little Miss Sunshine” grossed $1.5 million as it expanded in its second weekend to 58 theaters, averaging $25,169. The comedy-drama gained momentum as it heads for its nationwide run Aug. 18.

This week’s most anticipated film, Oliver Stone’s “World Trade Center,” opens Wednesday. The story of 9/11 heroes, starring Nicolas Cage, has garnered enthusiastic early reviews.

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Box office

Preliminary results (in millions) in the U.S. and Canada, based on studio projections

*--* Movie 3-day gross Total Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby $47.0 $47.0

Barnyard 16.0 16.0

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest 11.0 379.7

Miami Vice 9.7 45.7

The Descent 8.8 8.8

John Tucker Must Die 6.1 28.6

Monster House 6.0 57.0

The Ant Bully 3.9 18.2

The Night Listener 3.6 3.6

You, Me and Dupree 3.6 66.8

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Industry total

*--* 3-day gross Change (in millions) from 2005 $142.0 +24.2%

Year-to-date gross Change (in billions) from 2005 $5.90 +7.0%

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*--* Source: Exhibitor Relations Co. Los Angeles Times

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