'Hancock' a signature opening for Smith
The offbeat superhero story brings in $66 million over the holiday weekend, marking the star's eighth straight No. 1. He's hot, but the reviews were not.
"Hancock," a film about a petulant, perpetually drunken superhero, proved to be review-proof as well as bulletproof this weekend, overwhelming competitors and giving star Will Smith his fifth top-selling film on a Fourth of July weekend.
Audiences came in droves to see Smith play crime fighter John Hancock in the Sony Pictures production, which pulled in an estimated $66 million over the three days beginning Independence Day, distributor Columbia Pictures said Sunday.
The strong performance of the PG-13 film continues the prospects for a healthy summer in Hollywood, which has now seen ticket sales grow for six straight weekends.
"Hancock" drew $107.3 million over the 5 1/2 days since it began previewing Tuesday and officially opened Wednesday in 3,965 theaters, exceeding expectations of an $80-million haul, the studio said.
But it wasn't as strong as last year's holiday opening for the robot thriller "Transformers," which picked up $155.4 million during a similar 5 1/2 -day run.
"Hancock" marked Smith's eighth straight No. 1 opening and his eighth film to gross more than $100 million. His 2006 tearjerker, "The Pursuit of Happyness," grossed $307 million globally, and December's zombie movie, "I Am Legend," took in $584 million.
Long regarded as a box office behemoth, the actor has led ticket sales 12 times in his career, the studio said.
"The Will Smith business is a great business to be in," said Rory Bruer, president of domestic distribution for Sony Pictures. "The film was different, fresh and unique, and it had Will Smith. We knew we were golden."
Overseas, the film has amassed an additional $78 million, opening at No. 1 in 47 of its 50 international territories, Bruer said.
Even negative reviews lambasting the film as a confusing jumble that reneged on its promising premise could not keep "Hancock" from besting last weekend's box office leader -- and critical darling -- "Wall-E." The animated Disney-Pixar film about a love-struck robot slipped to second place and took in $33.4 million in its second weekend, boosting its domestic total to $128.1 million.
Smith has shrugged off critics' sniping before. His 1999 sci-fi cowboy comedy "Wild Wild West" also was a critical bust but commercial smash on a Fourth of July weekend. "Independence Day" and the "Men in Black" series were Smith's other major holiday successes.
