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September 28, 2016 The Skanner Page 7 Arts & Entertainment ‘Magniicent Seven’ Rides Denzel’s Star Power to $35M Debut By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK — Movie stars don’t open movies anymore? Tell that to Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks. The pair, once co-stars in “Philadel- phia,” have together dominated the last three weeks of the box oice. Ater Clint Eastwood’s Miracle on the Hudson docudrama “Sully,” starring Hanks as Captain Chesley Sullenberger, topped ticket sales of the last two weeks, “The Magniicent Seven” rode Washington’s star power to an estimated $35 million debut over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Though both Washington and Hanks are in their early 60s, their box-oice “ comScore’s survey of moviegoers. “They are the model of consistency and they are the model of quality,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media ana- lyst for comScore. “These are guys who can draw a huge audience in any type of movie that they’re in. It’s not like they’re pigeonholed into one kind of franchise.” Sony Pictures’ “The Magniicent Seven” wasn’t cheap to make — it cost about $90 million — so its path to proit- ability isn’t assured. Directed by Fuqua (whose “Training Day” and “The Equal- izer” also starred Washington), the ilm made splashy premieres at both the To- ronto International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival. Coming in at a distant second was These are guys who can draw a huge audience in any type of movie that they’re in clout might be just as potent as ever. The debut of “Sully” was Hanks’ fourth best opening of his career; the open- ing of “The Magniicent Seven,” An- toine Fuqua’s remake of John Sturges’ 1960 Western (itself a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai”), is Wash- ington’s third best. Both ilms boasted other enticements. Eastwood is himself a draw. And the ensemble of “The Magniicent Seven” most notably includes Chris Pratt, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” star and a potential heir apparent to Washington and Hanks. But Washington and Hanks ranked as the overwhelming reason audiences went to see either movie, according to Warner Bros.’ “Storks,” an animated release where the large-winged birds have given up the baby delivery busi- ness for online sales. The ilm, which cost about $70 million to make, opened with $21.8 million. The rest of the top 10 was populated by holdovers, with “Sully” slotting in at third with $13.8 million in its third week. It has now grossed $92.4 million domestically. A potentially bigger test of Hanks’ drawing power awaits the actor next month with the release of “Inferno,” in which he reprises his role as Robert Langdon in the Dan Brown franchise. “The Magniicent Seven” slots in as one of the biggest openings for a West- Interview cont’d from pg 6 JG: The story. It’s real. People are getting killed for materialistic things everyday and it has to stop. KW: How would you describe your character? JG: Brandon is shy and not conident. This changes for him drasti- cally in the ilm. KW: Who loved you unconditionally during your formative years? JG: My mother. KW: What is your fa- vorite dish to cook? JG: I like to help my mom cook jambalaya. were an animal, what an- imal would you be? JG: A cheetah. KW: What’s the cra- ziest thing you’ve ever done? JG: Play Ding Dong Ditch. It was crazy! KW: Larry Greenberg asks: Do you have a fa- vorite movie monster? JG: Mike from Mon- sters, Inc. KW: Craig Robinson asks: What was your last dream? JG: I was sitting on the beach with my great-grandma. KW: Finally, what’s in your wallet? JG: My ID and some condoms. [laughter] KW: The Kerry Wash- ington question: If you KW: Thanks again for the time, Jahking, and best of luck with “Kicks.” JG: Thanks, Kam. Denzel Washington’s ‘Magniicent Seven’ remake enjoyed one of the actor’s most lucrative openings to date. ern ever, though the genre’s heyday predated modern wide releases. The only Westerns to debut better, not accounting for inlation, bended the genre in other directions: sci-i in the case of “Cowboys & Aliens” ($36.4 mil- lion in 2011) and animation in “Rango” ($38.1 million, also in 2011). The Western, like Washington and Hanks, has proven quite durable at the box oice in recent years. The Coen brothers’ “True Grit” (which grossed $171.2 million in total), Alejandro In- arritu’s “The Revenant” ($183.6 mil- lion) and a pair of Quintin Tarantino releases (“Django Unchained,” with $162.8 million, and “The Hateful Eight,” with $54.1 million) have all proven the genre’s fortitude. “When you read this script as well as Antoine’s vision of it, you knew it was going to be cool and relevant,” said Rory Bruer, distribution head for Sony. “When you talk about genres or things that might not, on the surface, look to be the best play, it’s always going to about what’s in the story and how that story is told.” Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. 1. “The Magniicent Seven,” $35 mil- lion ($19.2 million international). 2. “Storks,” $21.8 million ($18.3 million international). See SEVEN on page 11
