Based on weekend box office estimates provided by studios, Mamma Mia, with a take of $8 million, has passed $100 million at the North American box office in its 4th weekend in wide release. Neither the facts that Pierce Brosnan can't sing, Colin Firth can't dance, nor that Meryl Streep is too old to play mom to Amanda Seyfried, have been able to bring this irresistibly infectious feel-good Summer musical down.
The $8.1 million take easily surpasses the $6.4 million take of Hairspray in its 4th weekend of release last year and Mamma Mia is now within $15 million of Hairspray's total box office take.
Internationally Mamma Mia has $277.4 in the till compared to Hairspray's $200.6 total. MM is now the 5th best grossing (live action) movie musical released since 1974 and only the 6th to gross more than $100 million, as follows:
1 Grease . $188.4 1978
2 Chicago $170.7 2002
3 Hairspray $118.9 2007
4 Rocky Horror $112.9 1975
5 Mamma Mia! $104.0 2008
6 Dreamgirls $103.4 2006
2 Chicago $170.7 2002
3 Hairspray $118.9 2007
4 Rocky Horror $112.9 1975
5 Mamma Mia! $104.0 2008
6 Dreamgirls $103.4 2006
Executive producer Tom Hanks is getting a good return on the $52 million he invested in MM production costs, although it will not match the domestic haul of his company's Big Fat Greek Wedding, which took in $241.4 million, six years ago.
Meanwhile the movie's soundtrack is still ranked number 3 on the Billboard best sellers chart and ABBA Gold is still perched atop of the Pop catalog chart
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2 comments:
I know you saw it on the opening night, but I don't know if I have read whether you liked the movie or not. What is your opinion?
I thought I would like it but I found it not funny when it was supposed to funny and a little contrived.
My grandmother loved it. Maybe it is good for the older generations because it is familiar music. I do like abba music though.
You're right. We saw it opening weekend but I never got around to posting a review at this blog.
I enjoyed Mamma Mia. Its not the best movie musical ever released, but it is better than the average Summer popcorn movie.
I would rate it below Hairspray, Dreamgirls and Chicago but certainly above The Producers and Phantom of the Opera.
I was disappointed in the staging of some of the dance sequences (example-- the boys in wetsuits n flippers at the beach) compared to the stageshow (where they were able to use theatrical lighting to good effect)
On the other hand, the beautiful location scenery made me long to return to the Greek Isles. Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini... I miss you!
In the older Hollywood musicals, the "name stars" (like Audrey Hepburn and Lucille Ball) that couldn't sing used to have their singing voices dubbed in, substituting vocals recorded by other performers. So Pierce deserves kudos for being a trooper and singing his own lines. Meryl isn't a bad singer.
I believe your ancedote about your grandmother's reaction is typical. This reflects the movie's appeal to a maninly female and older demographic (that don't usually drive the box office grosses). We took Gary's mother and sister along to the show we attended ( with Ryan and Claire also in tow). We saw it downtown (at the AMC 24) with a wide cross section of moviegoers and there was s smattering of applause at the end (tho some youngsters in front openly snickered at some of the scenes. The obviously didn't appreciate that part of the joy of the play/movie is the inventive insertion of ABBA hits into the plotline.) I believe MM's box office success is attributable to being the anti-Dark Knight alternative! It was the only movie that dared to open on the same weekend as The Dark Knight... Summer's biggest movie hit by far (four straight weeks at #1)
Music wise, I would advise anyone who is new to ABBA to pass on the movie soundtrack and to download the original ABBA hits instead!
I still recall with fondness a Grade 9 typing teacher who was reknown for playing ABBA 45s in class on a school turntable to pace us in our copytyping drills!
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