Moviegoers in no "Rush" to see latest sequel
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The final sequel of the summer to roll into North American theaters, "Rush Hour 3" earned $49.10 million during its first weekend of release, far short of the $67.41 million bow of its 2001 predecessor, according to final numbers issued Monday.
The six-year gap between installments in the buddy-cop action franchise -- as well as the fact that co-star Chris Tucker has not been seen onscreen since "Rush Hour 2" -- might have hampered the performance of New Line's latest release.
Tucker co-starred with Jackie Chan in the trilogy, with all films directed by Brett Ratner. "Rush Hour 2" finished with $226.14 million domestically, while 1998's "Rush Hour" kicked off with $33.00 million and ended up with $141.15 million.
"Rush Hour 3" also had to contend with competition from incumbent champ, "The Bourne Ultimatum." Universal Pictures' amped-up spy tale took in an additional $32.88 million, raising its domestic total to $131.55 million.
The weekend's other new arrivals came up short. Paramount Pictures' fantasy "Stardust," with a lustrous cast that includes Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro, didn't spread much enchantment. It opened at No. 4 with $9.17 million.
Sony Pictures' "Daddy Day Camp" might have been better-suited for a direct-to-video release, as was originally envisaged. A sequel to the 2003 Eddie Murphy hit "Daddy Day Care," the new film -- with Cuba Gooding Jr. in the lead role -- debuted at No. 10 with $3.40 million.
Nevertheless, the overall box office improved compared with the same weekend a year ago, when Sony's "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" topped the list in its second weekend with a take of $22.1 million. The 102 films tracked during the latest weekend by The Hollywood Reported grossed $154.4 million, up more than 19% from the comparable frame in 2006.
Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox's "The Simpsons Movie," in third place overall, picked up $11.27 million, bringing its domestic tally to $152.38 million. Showing real staying power, New Line's musical "Hairspray" rebounded one place to No. 5 with $6.40 million for a total of $92.14 million.
At No. 11, DreamWorks/Paramount's "Transformers" became the fourth film this year to cross the $300 million mark domestically as its weekend take of $3.24 million brought its total to $302.87 million.
On the specialty film front, Miramax Films added 501 screens to its run of the period romance "Becoming Jane," which came in at No. 12. The film attracted $2.90 million in 601 theaters for a 10-day total of $4.50 million.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
