Two studios in the midst of intense corporate drama were dealt a blow this weekend as moviegoers largely rejected the new in favor of the familiar.
Walt Disney Studios' science-fiction thriller "Surrogates" and MGM's remake of "Fame," along with Overture Films' horror flick "Pandorum," all proved box-office disappointments while Sony Pictures' animated film "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" was a surprising No. 1 again as it posted one of the smallest second-weekend declines of any film this year.
Also faring extremely well this weekend was Michael Moore, whose new movie "Capitalism" set a 2009 record for per-theater ticket sales in limited release.
"Surrogates," which stars Bruce Willis, cost $80 million to produce and sold an anemic $15 million worth of tickets in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates, making it a costly flop. That bad news for Disney comes after another money-losing, big-budget release, last month's "G-Force."
"Would I have liked to be higher? No doubt about it," Disney distribution President Chuck Viane said.
The studio's chairman, Dick Cook, was ousted a week and a half ago, and the box-office failure of "Surrogates" is sure to renew criticism of Disney's feature slate, about which the company's chief executive, Bob Iger, has been vocal.
The movie's weak opening is a further sign that stars such as Willis are no longer the box-office draw they once were.
Other films with well-known and well-paid actors in lead roles that have performed poorly this year include "State of Play," "Imagine That," "Year One" and "Land of the Lost."
Those who did see the sci-fi film probably won't be spreading good buzz. The average grade from moviegoers was a C, according to market research firm CinemaScore, about as low as such scores typically go.
"Surrogates" also opened in 10 international territories, where it grossed a decent, though far from spectacular, $12.2 million.
MGM's remake of "Fame," which opened to $10 million, won't cause nearly as many financial headaches given its $18-million production budget, which the studio co-financed with Lakeshore Entertainment.
Still, MGM, which is in negotiations with creditors to help stave off bankruptcy, was hoping for a tally in the $15-million range to prove that its filmmaking unit, which hadn't had a new release since December, can generate cash for the company.
