'American Pie' leads gross-out comedies at box office

That's what moviegoers did at the box office over the weekend, bringing in $18.1 million for the raunchy teen comedy about a bunch of high school guys trying to lose their virginity by graduation.

The sleeper hit knocked Will Smith's critically savaged "Wild Wild West" into second place, while "Arlington Road," the only other movie opening in wide release, debuted with a disappointing $7.4 million, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The loose remake of the old "Wild Wild West" TV show lost a devastating 40 percent of its audience after two weeks, earning $16.7 million for a total of $76.4 million.

But so-called "gross-out" comedies such as "American Pie" continued doing well at the box office, with Adam Sandler's "Big Daddy" in third place, the "South Park" feature in eighth and the "Austin Powers" sequel in ninth.

"Everybody expected 'American Pie' to do well and it did," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. "It boasted no big stars and succeeded purely on the strength of its advertising campaign."

He said the recent success of gross-out movies is partly due to the popularity of last summer's blockbuster comedy "There's Something About Mary."

"That movie raised the bar for crude humor, and its success has gotten not only audiences interested but also studios, who are now willing to take chances," Dergarabedian said.

"Big Daddy," which features Sandler and a little boy urinating in public and brutalizing rollerbladers in a park, earned $16.3 million in its third week for a total of $116.8 million.

Raunchy and unapologetically obscene, "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" has drawn critical raves. The film earned $7.1 million in its second week as it fell from fourth to eighth place.

The crudely animated film lost 37 percent of its audience, which may be due to tougher enforcement of the R-rating. That could have prevented many young fans of the Comedy Central cartoon from seeing their favorite, foul-mouthed schoolboys.

Meanwhile, Disney's child-friendly animated "Tarzan" continued drawing respectable crowds by deliberately targeting older moviegoers, said Chuck Viane, president of distribution at Disney's Buena Vista pictures.

"The 'Tarzan' audience is actually broadening to more teens and more adults. That's what's keeping it up there," Viane said.

The vine-swinging apeman earned $11.3 million for a total of $129.5 million in its fourth week.

John Travolta's thriller "The General's Daughter" held on to fifth place with $8.1 million, defying mediocre reviews and a crowded box office.

But "Arlington Road," another thriller staring Jeff Bridges as a college professor who suspects his suburban neighbor (Tim Robbins) is a right-wing terrorist, failed to find a significant audience.

The movie tied with "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" for sixth place with $7.4 million.

Spike Lee's "Summer of Sam," about the sweltering months when serial killer David Berkowitz terrorized New York City, drew large crowds in urban areas but played to mostly empty suburban and rural theaters, said Viane.

The film fell to 10th place in its second week with a paltry $3.4 million.

Ticket sales have routinely broken box office records this summer, but receipts from this weekend were down 6.9 percent from the same time last year, when "Lethal Weapon 4" opened at No. 1 while "Armageddon," "Small Soldiers," "Doctor Dolittle" and "Mulan" were still in the top five.

Estimated grosses for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures are to be released Monday.

1. "American Pie," $18.1 million.

2. "Wild Wild West," $16.7 million.

3. "Big Daddy," $16.3 million.

4. "Tarzan," $11.3 million.

5. "The General's Daughter," $8.1 million.

6. "Arlington Road," $7.4 million.

6. (tie) "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace," $7.4 million.

8. "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut," $7.1 million.

9. "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me," $6.5 million.

10. "Summer of Sam," $3.4 million.

archive