'Despicable' minions upset Depp's 'Lone Ranger' at box office
Updated: 2013-07-08 09:31
(Agencies)
|
|||||||||||
Armie Hammer plays John Reid, the lawman who becomes the masked Lone Ranger to fight injustice with his partner Tonto.
"Obviously this is disappointing," said Dave Hollis, vice president of distribution for Walt Disney Studios. "It obviously didn't connect with audiences, and it's frustrating for us. We felt we had everything in place for it to succeed."
"The Lone Ranger" added $24.3 million from international theaters during the weekend, bringing its global take to $73.2 million through Sunday, Disney said.
Hollis said it was still "a little too early to tell just yet" whether the film might eventually be profitable with the bulk of its international openings still to come.
"When the analysts started adding up the numbers and the critics began posting negative reviews, the movie struggled to get out of the gate," explained Paul Dergarabedian, head of Hollywood.com's box office division.
A Disney hit, animated prequel "Monsters University" from the company's Pixar studio, finished the weekend in fourth place, grabbing $19.6 million for the weekend. Its global total topped $400 million through Sunday.
The female buddy comedy "The Heat," starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, took the No. 3 slot pulling in $25 million, while the Brad Pitt zombie thriller "World War Z" earned $18.2 million to finish in fifth place.
"The Heat" was released by the 20th Century Fox studio, a unit of 21st Century Fox. "World War Z" was distributed by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.
Related:
Depp puts Tonto at center stage in 'Lone Ranger'
Depp attends premiere of 'The Long Ranger' in California
Related Stories
New Chinese film depicts Gaokao pressure 2013-07-05 13:44
'Tiny Times' turns up the heat on summer screens 2013-07-05 11:17
Steve Carell promotes 'Despicable Me 2' 2013-07-04 08:54
'Monsters' tops 'The Heat' at box office 2013-07-01 10:40
'Tiny Times' premieres in Beijing 2013-06-28 13:35
Today's Top News
Train derails in southwest Russia, 7 injured
Testing fresh ground for clean tech development
Boeing 777 passenger 'mumbled a prayer'
Job seekers should be cautious abroad
Ex-minister gets suspended death
River pollution sparks criticism
Chinese workers return after dispute
Terror attack was planned: suspect
Hot Topics
Lunar probe , China growth forecasts, Emission rules get tougher, China seen through 'colored lens', International board,
Editor's Picks
Pain lingers after Xinjiang attack |
Tunnel builders sweat it out on new rail line |
Graduates face grim hunt for job |
Parents learn a lesson on homes |
Taking the reins of great change |
Lifting the veil of feng shui |