At first glance it may seem Australian cinemagoers are keener to see Entourage than audiences in the US.
The feature spin-off of the series that ran for eight seasons on HBO opened at No. 1 in Australia, fetching $3.4 million last weekend and almost $4.1 million with previews.
Contrast that with the US where the film starring Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara, Kevin Dillon and Jeremy Piven entered in fourth spot with a lousy $US10.2 million in three days and $17.6 million since the launch last Wednesday.
To be fair, writer-producer-director Doug Ellin’s comedy was flattened by a steam-roller in the US: Melissa McCarthy’s Spy, which bowed at No. 1 with $29 million.
Here, the Paul Feig-directed Spy pocketed nearly $2 million in its third frame, advancing to a lucrative $9.9 million.
The only other wide release in Oz, Cameron Crowe’s Aloha, rang up $1.47 million and $1.8 million with previews, a mediocre debut considering the star power of Bradley Cooper (who lucked out too in Serena), Rachel McAdams, Emma Stone, Bill Murray, Danny McBride and Alec Baldwin.
However, the tepid response to Aloha is no surprise after the film tanked in the US the previous weekend, excoriated by some critics as Crowe’s worst ever effort.
San Andreas grabbed $2 million in its second weekend, dropping by a reasonable 37%, to bring its tally to $6.7 million.
Worldwide, Mad Max: Fury Road climbed to $US312 million, including $130.6 million in the US and $181.4 million in the rest of the world. In Australia George Miller’s action-adventure advanced to $19.2 million after earning $1.6 million in its fourth frame, down 34%.
Still, champagne corks won’t be popping yet at Warner Bros. or Village Roadshow Pictures. Deadline.com observed, “It’s a far cry from becoming a profit maker yet. With a hefty budget of well over $200 million in production, marketing and distribution costs, this Warner Bros./Village Roadshow actioner is going to have to pull in much more to break even.”
That suggests the film will need to perform strongly in Japan (where it opens on June 20) and in China, where its release has not yet been confirmed.
According to Rentrak, nationwide B.O. receipts last weekend totalled $14.8 million, a slight uptick on the previous frame’s $14.7 million.