A lowbrow, low-budget comedy from a first-time director has trampled a sophisticated, $40 million Hollywood satire from Oscar-winning director James L. Brooks.
“Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” grossed $12.1 million for first place in its debut weekend, more than double the $4.7 million premiere of Brooks’ “I’ll Do Anything,” which finished fifth.
Morgan Creek Pictures, which produced “Ace Ventura” for about $11 million, said the film played especially well to the frat house crowd of male teens.
Unlike the serious “Philadelphia,” “Schindler’s List” and “In the Name of the Father,” “Ace Ventura” is admittedly silly: The plot is about a kidnapped dolphin.
It stars Jim Carrey from TV’s “In Living Color” and was directed by Tom Shadyac.
Columbia Pictures’ “I’ll Do Anything” will be remembered as the musical that was not. After the film tested poorly last year, its songs were excised.
Among other new films, the Disney remake of the French film “My Father the Hero” made $5.6 million for fourth, while the exploitation film “Gunmen” was 12th with a weak $1.9 million. “Romeo is Bleeding” performed moderately well in limited release, collecting $1.2 million.
In second was “Mrs. Doubtfire” with $6.9 million, followed by “Philadelphia” with $5.8 million. “My Father the Hero” was fourth, and “I’ll Do Anything” was fifth.
“Schindler’s List” made $4.6 million for sixth, “Grumpy Old Men” was seventh with $4.5 million and “Blink” made $3.9 million for eighth. “Intersection” collected $2.5 million for ninth and “Iron Will” was 10th with $2.3 million.
Here is a list of the weekend’s top 20 films, according to Exhibitor Relations Co., with weekend gross, number of North American theater locations, average per location, total gross and number of weeks in release.
Figures are based on actual receipts and projections where actual figures were not available.
1. “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” Warner Bros., $12.1 million, 1,750 locations, $6,923 per location, $12.1 million, one week.
2. “Mrs. Doubtfire,” 20th Century Fox, $6.9 million, 2,135 locations, $3,240 per location, $181.6 million, 11 weeks.
3. “Philadelphia,” TriStar, $5.8 million, 1,594 locations, $3,651 per location, $44.8 million, seven weeks.
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4. “My Father the Hero,” Disney, $5.6 million, 1,193 locations, $4,732 per location, $5.6 million, one week.
5. “I’ll Do Anything,” Columbia, $4.7 million, 1,205 locations, $3,903 per location, $4.7 million, one week.
6. “Schindler’s List,” Universal, $4.6 million, 764 locations, $6,070 per location, $29.3 million, eight weeks.
7. “Grumpy Old Men,” Warner Bros., $4.5 million, 1,722 locations, $2,626 per location, $54.3 million, seven weeks.
8. “Blink,” New Line, $3.9 million, 1,540 locations, $2,564 per location, $10.5 million, two weeks.
9. “Intersection,” Warner Bros., $2.5 million, 1,300 locations, $1,964 per location, $17.7 million, three weeks.
10. “Iron Will,” Disney, $2.3 million, 1,527 locations, $1,509 per location, $17.6 million, four weeks.
11. “The Pelican Brief,” Warner Bros., $2.1 million, 1,695 locations, $1,230 per location, $93.2 million, eight weeks.
12. “Gunmen,” Miramax, $1.9 million, 802 locations, $2,381 per location, $1.9 million, one week.
13. “Shadowlands,” Savoy, $1.79 million, 953 locations, $1,879 per location, $19.6 million, six weeks.
14. “Tombstone,” Disney, $1.76 million, 1,232 locations, $1,430 per location, $50 million, seven weeks.
15. “House Party 3,” New Line, $1.3 million, 643 locations, $2,074 per location, $16.9 million, four weeks.
16. “Romeo is Bleeding,” Gramercy, $1.2 million, 247 locations, $4,962 per location, $1.2 million, one week.
17. “Beethoven’s 2nd,” Universal, $1.1 million, 1,060 locations, $1,048 per location, $46.5 million, 10 weeks.
18. “In the Name of the Father,” Universal, $1 million, 176 locations, $5,938 per location, $6.4 million, six weeks.
19. “The Air Up There,” Disney, $944,000, 944 locations, $1,000 per location, $18.5 million, five weeks.
20. “The Piano,” Miramax, $787,000, 401 locations, $1,963 per location, $26.5 million, 13 weeks.