‘Scary Movie’ Makes a Gross Statement

The public’s insatiable appetite for raunchy humor, so evident in recent blockbusters like “There’s Something About Mary” and “American Pie,” shows no sign of letting up.

“Scary Movie,” Keenen Ivory Wayans’ spoof of teen-horror films, debuted in first place over the weekend, grossing $42.3 million. The huge opening stunned Hollywood and easily eclipsed the previous record opening for an R-rated movie--$37.1 million by the 1997 Harrison Ford thriller “Air Force One.”

The combination of gross-out humor and a familiar lineup of films being spoofed, from “Scream” to “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” seemed to appeal to the film’s core audience of older teens and young adults.

“We had a marketplace that was really starving for an older-teen movie,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box office tracking firm, Exhibitor Relations Co., Inc. “It just proves that in the summertime, if you can get the teen moviegoer excited, you can fill a lot of theater seats.”

Bruce Willis, no stranger when it comes to filling theater seats, may have seen his new film, “Disney’s The Kid,” hurt by its family-sounding title. The film opened in fourth place with $12.7 million in ticket sales.

Weekend Box Office

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Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Scary Movie” $42.3 2,912 1 (Dimension) $42.3 $14,542 2. “The Perfect Storm” $27.1 3,407 2 (Warner Bros.) $100.2 $7,960 3. “The Patriot” $15.4 3,061 2 (Sony/Columbia) $65.5 $5,038 4. “Disney’s The Kid” $12.7 2,167 1 (Disney) $12.7 $5,855 5. “Chicken Run” $9.9 2,901 3 (DreamWorks) $63.7 $3,426 6. “Me, Myself & Irene” $8.4 2,996 3 (Fox) $67.4 $2,810 7. “Shaft” $4.1 2,262 4 (Paramount) $62.0 $1,820 8. “Big Momma’s House” $4.07 1,926 6 (Fox) $103.6 $2,113 9. “Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle” $3.9 2,482 2 (Universal) $16.1 $1,585 10. “Gone in 60 Seconds” $3.6 1,871 5 (Disney/Touchstone) $86.5 $1,929

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.