Despite having the widest release of any of the new films released over the weekend, the Weinstein Company's spoof film Superhero Movie ended up in third place earning just an estimated $9.5 million from 2,960 locations. It is not certain if the boycott of Superhero Movie called for by Star Wars fans irate over the Weinstein Company's treatment of the movie Fanboys (see "Weinsteins Wilt Before the Force") had any effect on the disappointing box office for the film, which earned just over half as much as Fox's spoof of 300, Meet the Spartans, but it certainly didn't help.
Though online reports suggest that the actual presence of protestors at screenings of Superhero Movie was very limited, the Star Wars fan-led threats received plenty of publicity both on the Web and in the print media. Whatever the effect of the protests, Superhero Movie's decidedly mediocre average of just $3,212 per venue does not portend well for the film's future and may well indicate that the parody genre is suffering from a bad case of over-exposure.
The blackjack-themed 21 topped the box office, but earned only $23.7 million. Overall the top ten films brought in just north of $85 million, down 25% from the same weekend last year, when the Will Ferrell comedy Blades of Glory opened with $33 million. Meanwhile The Spiderwick Chronicles is closing in on $70 million, while the subtitled version of
