'Spy' tops the box office over 'Entourage,' 'San Andreas'
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Melissa McCarthy鈥檚 new comedy 鈥淪py鈥 topped the box office this past weekend, coming in first over 鈥淓ntourage,鈥 horror movie 鈥淚nsidious: Chapter Three,鈥 and disaster film 鈥淪an Andreas.鈥澛
鈥淪py鈥 grossed $30 million domestically, according to the , while 鈥淪an Andreas,鈥 which was first released on May 29, came in second with more than $26 million. New horror movie 鈥淚nsidious鈥 was third with $23 million and 鈥淓ntourage,鈥 the new release which was based on the HBO show of the same name, grossed more than $10 million.聽
As noted by the website , 鈥淪py鈥 didn鈥檛 have the highest-grossing opening weekend of McCarthy鈥檚 films 鈥 quite the opposite. Her recent comedy with Sandra Bullock, 鈥淭he Heat,鈥 opened to $39 million and 鈥淚dentity Thief鈥 opened with $34 million.
And the disappointing performance by 鈥淓ntourage鈥 can't be blamed solely on being released against "Spy." The film currently holds a meager聽 review aggregate score of 38.聽Meanwhile, Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros., which released 鈥淓ntourage,鈥 said those who viewed the movie as having the same potential as the 2008 movie 鈥淪ex and the City鈥 were incorrect, according to the AP. writer Tom Brueggemann agreed, writing, 鈥淭he key differences from 鈥楽ex and the City鈥 are not only a lower zeitgeist-level for the Hollywood-posse comedy series, despite its one-time popularity, but mainly where its appeal lies. Sixty-four percent of its audience was male, and its tough to sustain a movie opening domestically when it's skewed in one direction 鈥 Also, even more widely than a decade ago, cable is now seen by many as the superior creative venue that doesn't need theatrical validation, which used to be the mark of prestige.鈥澛
But apart from these other factors, the contrast between 鈥淪py鈥 and 鈥淓ntourage鈥 is interesting. As we noted before, 鈥淪py鈥 finds McCarthy headlining the movie and doesn鈥檛 revolve around her getting a guy. Meanwhile, many critics wrote that for the most part, the portrayal of women in 鈥淓ntourage鈥 isn鈥檛 stellar. writer Sheri Linden wrote that 鈥淲hether artistic or emotional, evolution isn鈥檛 much of a player in this boys-will-be-boys universe of arrested development. The film鈥檚 opening scene is especially disheartening on that front, with its yacht full of bikini-clad women off the coast of Ibiza 鈥 could there be a more lazy and uncreative shorthand for 鈥榟otshot lifestyle鈥?鈥 Alonso Duralde of wrote that 鈥淚n this movie鈥檚 world, women exist almost exclusively to have babies and/or make problems鈥 and the 鈥檚 Ann Hornaday wrote that 鈥淲hen women aren鈥檛 being idolized as ingenues, models and baby mamas, they鈥檙e being degraded as wifely scolds and objects of leering lust 鈥 and outright contempt, by way of Drama鈥檚 startlingly nasty asides. One exception to the rule, barely, is Turtle鈥檚 love interest, who is played in a steely, askance-looking turn by the mixed martial arts fighter Ronda Rousey.鈥澛
When 鈥淪py鈥 star Melissa McCarthy is earning praise for standing out "" and for playing a character with "," it's hard not to see some hope in the fact that more audience members checked out the McCarthy comedy.