Actor Tom Cruise arrives for a special screening for his new film Mission Impossible III in New York, May 3. - REUTERS
LOS ANGELES (AP):
A BACKLASH over the strange change in Tom Cruise's behaviour may have cost him some fans for Mission: Impossible III, which debuted with a weaker-than-expected $47.7 million weekend.
That was $10 million less than the first weekend for Mission: Impossible II six years ago and just $2.3 million more than the debut of Mission: Impossible 10 years ago.
The previous instalments opened over Memorial Day weekend, when Sunday numbers tend to be much stronger. But Mission: Impossible III played far wider, debuting in 4,054 theatres, 400 more than the second movie and 1,000 more than the first.
FARES
Factoring in yesterday's higher ticket prices, the new sequel fared even worse, drawing about 7.2 million viewers, compared to 10.7 million for Mission: Impossible II and 10.3 million for Mission: Impossible.
Distributor Paramount noted that Mission: Impossible III had an opening similar to that of such recent action flicks as Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Batman Begins, which both went on to gross some $200 million domestically.
Previously guarded about his personal life, Cruise has made himself the butt of jokes for preaching his Scientology beliefs and for the public spectacle of his romance with Katie Holmes, which included his profession of love for the actress while jumping up and down on a couch during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Mission: Impossible III did not even manage to beat the debut of the critically drubbed Van Helsing, which opened to $51.8 million over the first weekend of May two years ago.
BOX OFFICE LEADERS
1. Mission: Impossible III, Paramount, US$47,743,273
2. RV, Sony, US$11,004,70.
3. An American Haunting, Freestyle Releasing, US$5,783,508
4. Stick It, Disney, US$5,479,658
5. United 93, Universal, US$5,347,860
6. Ice Age: The Meltdown, Fox, US$4,161,724
7. Silent Hill, Sony
8. Scary Movie 4, Weinstein Co.,US$3,690,454
9. Akeelah and the Bee, Lionsgate, US$3,369,630
10. Hoot, New Line, US$3,368,197
