Page 31 - ARUBA TODAY

PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 3 July 2017
A31

‘Despicable Me 3’ and ‘Baby Driver’ win, ‘The House’ doesn’t

By LINDSEY BAHR
AP Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The
Minions are still a box office
force and original stories
are scoring big, but not the
R-rated comedy — even
with Will Ferrell and Amy
Poehler behind it.
Studio estimates on Sunday
say that Universal Pictures
and Illumination’s “Despi-
cable Me 3” earned $75.4
million over the weekend,
while the former Saturday
Night Live stars’ gambling
comedy “The House”
burned down.
Featuring the voices of
Steve Carell and Trey
Parker, “Despicable Me
3” easily topped the holi-
day weekend charts from
4,529 theaters in North This file image released by Illumination and Universal Pictures shows the Minions in a scene from “Despicable Me 3.”
America. While it’s a far Associated Press
cry from “Minions’” $115
million launch in 2015, and which stars Jamie Foxx, An- bested franchise fare in- original content in order Dergarabedian noting suc-
also lower than “Despica- sel Elgort, Jon Hamm and cluding “The Mummy” and to generate goodwill with cess stories like “The Hang-
ble Me 2,” which opened Kevin Spacey and cost a “Pirates of the Caribbean: audiences who have more over,” ‘’Bridesmaids” and
to $83.5 million in 2013, reported $34 million to pro- Dead Men Tell No Tales,” options than ever before.” “Neighbors.” ‘’Now people
Nick Carpou, president of duce. which were both playing in Rounding out the top five feel like they’ve seen that
Domestic Theatrical Dis- “How great it is to see au- over 1,670 theaters. were holdovers “Transform- movie before when they
tribution for Universal Pic- diences turn out to support The well-reviewed roman- ers: The Last Knight” in third watch the trailer. They’ve
tures, says that $75 million original filmmaking,” said tic comedy “The Big Sick” with $17 million, followed lost interest.”
is a number he’ll celebrate Josh Greenstein, Sony’s also did good business in its by “Wonder Woman” with Overall, the summer box
any day of the week. Car- president of worldwide expansion to 71 locations, $15.6 million and “Cars 3” office continues to struggle
pou notes that Illumination marketing and distribu- earning $1.7 million. The R- with $9.5 million. and is down nearly 8 per-
continues to prove itself a tion. “They’ve made ‘Baby rated film expands wide on Not so successful was sub- cent from last year, while
formidable brand for fam- Driver’ the surprise hit of the July 14. urban gambling comedy the year to date is close
ily entertainment. summer, a true sleeper.” “The best box office stories “The House” which landed to flat. But the summer box
“They resonate and abso- The R-rated film did well are further down the chart. in sixth place with only $9 office roller coaster may
lutely are relatable,” Car- with critics and is one of a They are all benefiting from million — one of the lowest still have some surprises in
pou said. “They’re movies handful of original or inde- feeling like the kind of con- of Ferrell’s career and the store. “’Spider-Man: Home-
that are built for all ages.” pendent films this weekend tent people are respond- latest in a string of R-rated coming’ will swing in ac-
Edgar Wright’s original heist that are notable successes. ing to on the small screen,” comedies to tank at the tion later this week and,
movie “Baby Driver” coast- Sofia Coppola’s R-rated noted Paul Dergarabedi- box office following “Rough like ‘Wonder Woman’ be-
ed to $30 million in its first Civil War-set film “The Be- an, a senior media analyst Night” and “Baywatch.” fore it, could turn things
five days in theaters, with guiled” scored in its expan- for comScore. “Perhaps this “The R-rated comedy used around,” Dergarabedian
$21 million from the three- sion from four to 674 the- is the summer where Holly- to be the antidote to the said. “But we need more
day weekend to take sec- aters in its second week- wood finally starts emulat- typical summer blockbust- than one box office su-
ond place. Sony Pictures end. It earned $3.3 million ing the small screen model er and now those films are perhero, we need multiple
released the R-rated pic to take eighth place and of creating compelling having a tough time,” said films performing.”q

Mick Jagger says newspaper

editorial saved him from prison

LONDON (AP) — Rock su- cause of the severity of his The 73-year-old singer tells
perstar Mick Jagger says crime but because band the newspaper “that edi-
a newspaper editorial was members were being torial got me out jail. One
responsible for helping “scapegoats” by an older day it dropped, and the
him avoid prison for a mi- generation critical of their next thing I was out.”
nor drug offense in 1967. lifestyle. Jagger credits the editori-
The Rolling Stones front- The Times editorial under- al with telling the establish-
man tells the Times of Lon- scored this point, saying ment “come on guys, this In this May 10, 1967 file photo, Mick Jagger, lead singer of the
don on Saturday that he Jagger should be treated is just not English fair play British rock band “The Rolling Stones”, center left, and Keith
had been sentenced to “exactly the same as any- kind of thing.”q Richards, guitarist of the band, right, are surrounded by fans as
three months in jail not be- one else.” they leave court, in Chichester, England.
Associated Press