The Box-Office Top Five
#1 "Tropic Thunder" ($16.1 million)
#2 "The House Bunny" ($15.1 million)
#3 "Death Race" ($12.3 meg)
#4 "The Dark Knight" ($10.3 1000000)
#5 "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" ($5.7 million)
The Olympics ar over, the flame has been extinguished, and the winners and losers are going home. But didn't it feel as if it was the like people world Health Organization kept winning over and over over again: Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt ... Robert Downey Jr.?
Downey's "Tropic Thunder" earned $16.1 million, closedown the record book on the summer by narrowly trouncing "The House Bunny" and earning its second sequent first-place finish. Also stellar Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Tom Cruise, the war charade brought its overall tote up to a healthy $65.7 gazillion. Thanks to "Iron Man," it was also the fourth #1 finish for Downey in as many months. (He has foursome golds to Bolt's three.)
Largely written off before the weekend, "The House Bunny" performed supra expectations to walk away with the silver laurel wreath, earning $15.1 trillion in its debut workweek. The Anna Faris comedy about a former Playboy Playmate turned sorority house mom is the fifth-highest opening of the actress' career, just the highest ever for a picture without "Scary" in the title. (Yes, she was in four installments of "Scary Movie.")
Then there was "Death Race," the Paul W.S. Anderson re-imagining that stalled at the starting gate with a third-place finish. The Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson action thumb had [insert car metaphor] but [second car metaphor] meaning that it [tierce car metaphor] instead. It earned exactly $12.3 million.
In fourth part place, "The Dark Knight" continued to be the most awe-inspiring cultural force of the summer, dropping just 37 percent in its sixth week to walk away with some other $10.3 million. Already the second-highest-grossing movie of all time, by next week it'll cross the half-a-billion-dollar mark domestically. Meanwhile, rounding out the top five, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" continued to be , dropping 61 pct in its second week to walk away with another $5.7 million.
Among other new releases, the Ice Cube-starring, Fred Durst-directed "The Longshots" was a true underdog, fumbling its way to $4.3 million and an eighth-place finish. And "The Rocker", totally bombed, good for just $2.7 billion and a 12th-place finish. One wonders what will happen now to poor Jenna Fischer.
Upcoming Releases
Next week at the box role, it's muscle versus, well, I was going to say brains but that isn't precisely right. Vin Diesel's "Babylon A.D." volition take on Drake Bell's "College" and the parody flick "Disaster Movie," all opening in wide freeing. Whoever wins, we lose.
Check out everything we've got on "Tropic Thunder," "The House Bunny" and "Death Race."
For break news, celebrity columns, body fluid and more � updated around the clock � visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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