Faced with the prospect that he'd "lost" his audience, Sandler regrouped and attempted something he'd never done before: A sequel.īelieve it or not, Grown Ups 2 is indeed Sandler's very first sequel - and, not surprisingly, it paid off, opening with an estimated $42.5 million this weekend, one of Sandler's very best debuts. Hollywood insiders have long regarded him as a savvy industry player - there is a reason his films have been this consistent. But despite his on screen persona, Sandler is no doofus. Sandler's sterling box office winning streak was in the toilet, thanks to a pair of films in which he had cast himself in pointedly unlikable roles. Instead, the following year, he witnessed his first major bomb since Little Nicky, when That's My Boy - starring Sandler as a washed-up man child and Andy Samberg as his put-upon grown son - pulled in just $36.9 million in the U.S. ![]() It was a single disappointment, however, and Sandler could have weathered it. Starring Sandler as both an affable brother and his aggressively grating sister, the film eked out $74 million domestically in 2011 - and enjoyed the dubious honor of being the first film to sweep the annual Razzie Awards, which salute the worst in filmmaking. But when Sandler was at the reins, his films were the definition of a sure thing. (The high-concept bomb Little Nicky was the only exception.) Occasionally, Sandler would seek out a more dramatic role produced by someone else - like in 2009's Funny People, 2004's Spanglish, or 2002's Punch-Drunk Love - and the resulting box office was much less buoyant. ![]() ![]() For 13 years, there was scarcely a more reliable box office draw in Hollywood than Adam Sandler - and this weekend, that exceptional reputation was in serious jeopardy.įrom 1998's The Waterboy to 2011's Just Go With It, any time the Saturday Night Live alum produced and starred in a straight-up comedy, its studio - usually Sony Pictures - could bank on that movie opening at around $40 million and grossing over $100 million in the U.S.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |