The Heat Set Fire to a Whole Pile of Moviegoing Money This Weekend
LatestDespite Wall Street Journal movie whisperer Joe Morgenstern fretting that too many big-budget comedies seem to be exploiting the extremely talented Melissa McCarthy, and that, as a result, McCarthy-starring movies may soon be subject to the law of diminishing returns , that time is not yet nigh because everyone a) who isn’t a child or b) whose social calendar isn’t controlled by a child despot went to see The Heat this weekend, pushing it to an estimated $40 million opening, second behind Monsters University.
That, according to Buzzfeed’s Jordan Zakarin, is the second time in three years that a female-drive, Paul Feig/Melissa McCarthy summer comedy has exceeded expectations. Bridesmaids earned a mere $26 million its first weekend, and quickly went on to become a $288 million worldwide smash (especially for an R-rated comedy), so The Heat is already off to a better start. Of course, you’re probably not seeing any residuals from The Heat’s success, so exactly how many fucks do you, the average moviegoer just looking for a halfway decent thing to spend $12-$25 on this weekend, give?