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
