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Sunday, April 10, 2016

Latest Movie News From Moviefone

Latest Movie News From Moviefone

Box Office: 5 Reasons Why Melissa McCarthy Defeated the Dark Knight

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Forget Wonder Woman or "Zootopia's" Officer Judy Hopps. The most commanding female at the box office this weekend was Melissa McCarthy's hard-charging tycoon Michelle Darnell.

The battle this weekend was "Batman v Superman" vs. "The Boss," and while the superhero saga was widely expected to threepeat at No.1 on the box office chart, it ended up being a neck-and-neck race. On Sunday, it looked like "The Boss" would be the victor, claiming an estimated $23.5 million and edging out "BvS" by just $45,000.

For "Boss" to come out ahead of "BvS" and two new competitors ("Demolition" and "Hardcore Henry") is no small feat, especially considering how many obstacles it had to overcome. "The Boss" became the fifth McCarthy starring vehicle in a row to open above $21.5 million -- despite really bad reviews and a C+ CinemaScore. This weekend's results seem to show that, no matter what hurdles McCarthy has to leap, she's an indomitable, dependable, bankable box office hitmaker. Here are five challenges she had to face before "The Boss" earned its title:

1. Timing
Most of McCarthy's hits, including "The Heat" and "Spy," have been summer releases. Could a big, broad comedy like this one open well in April? Well, why not? Her "Identity Thief" debuted strongly during the wasteland of February. Seems like audiences are happy to see McCarthy at any time of year.

2. The R Rating
Because it keeps kids and young teens away, the R rating is considered much more commercially risky than the more common PG-13, which Hollywood believes hits the sweet spot between edgy enough for adults and too edgy for kids. Yet McCarthy's hits, going back to her initial breakout with "Bridesmaids," have all been R-rated. As with her earlier films, the R rating on "Boss" lets viewers know that McCarthy has been allowed to go hog wild, without having to restrain her bull-in-a-china-shop comedy style in order to placate the ratings board.

3. The Demographic
There's already a comedy out there that appeals to older women. In fact, "Boss" studio Universal released it just two weeks ago -- "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2." Fortunately, there seems to be room for both movies in the marketplace. "Wedding 2" came in fourth this weekend with an estimated $6.4 million, good for a three-week total of $46.8 million. Of course, Nia Vardalos isn't the star that McCarthy is, and her PG-13 movie won't offend your grandma, while "Boss" certainly might. So the audience overlap is only so big.

4. The XX Factor
By now, it should be time for Hollywood to bury the perception that female-driven movies are risky bets.

McCarthy's fearlessness makes her appealing to both men and women, but women drove the success of this film, making up 67 percent of its customers. Oh, and look at the top four movies on this weekend chart. Besides "Boss," there's "Batman v Superman" (whose strongest draw may actually have been the long-awaited introduction of Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman), "Zootopia" (headlined by Ginnifer Goodwin's relentless rookie rabbit cop heroine), and Vardalos' "Wedding 2." Hey, Hollywood, still think women can't sell tickets?

5. The Competition
New entries this weekend proved to be non-starts. With its first-person-shooter-POV gimmick and its clever online marketing campaign aimed at gamers, "Hardcore Henry" had been expected to open between $8 and $12 million, but mixed reviews and weak word-of-mouth (it also earned a C+ at CinemaScore) led to a fifth place debut with just an estimated $5.1 million.

Similarly, Jake Gyllenhaal's "Demolition" had been tracking toward a $3 million debut, but it also garnered mixed reviews. As a result, it didn't even crack the top 10, opening instead at No. 15 with just an estimated $1.1 million.

And then there's "Batman v Superman." Despite its steep second-weekend drop last week, "BvS" has earned $296.7 million in just three weekends, or $700,000 more than Disney breakout hit "Zootopia" has earned in six. Its estimated $23.4 million gross in its third week is still better than most movies do in their first.

So should "The Boss" hold its slight lead over "BvS" when Monday's final tally comes out, McCarthy will win more than just bragging rights for the week, or for having dethroned Batman and Superman.

She will show that, all by herself, at any time of year, even in a poorly-reviewed movie, McCarthy still can rule the box office like a boss.

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Weekend Box Office: 'The Boss' Beats 'Batman v Superman'

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BY DERRIK J. LANG
AP ENTERTAINMENT WRITER

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Step aside, Batman and Superman. Melissa McCarthy is "The Boss" at the box office now.

The actress' latest comedy narrowly topped "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" at the weekend box office with a $23.5 million debut, according to comScore estimates Sunday. "The Boss" stars McCarthy as an over-the-top business mogul attempting to rebound after being convicted of insider trading.

McCarthy's win wasn't a total knockout. The Warner Bros. superhero smackdown starring Ben Affleck as the Dark Knight and Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel nabbed $23.4 million in its third weekend. "Batman v Superman" has earned an estimated $296.7 million to date.

Disney's animated "Zootopia" came in third place with $14.4 million in its sixth weekend, bringing its total domestic haul to $296 million.

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'The Boss' Director Ben Falcone Loves Working With Wife Melissa McCarthy

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"The Boss" isn't the first time Ben Falcone has teamed up with his wife Melissa McCarthy, so it's safe to say it's not going to be the last. We sat down with "The Boss" director and to talk about what kind of boss he is, his worst boss experience, and what being on set with Melissa is really like.
Melissa McCarthy And Ben Falcone Sydney Photo Shoot

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