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Will is superhero at box office
07/07/2008 07:40 - (SA)
Dean Goodman
Los Angeles - Will Smith, the closest
thing to a sure bet in Hollywood, overcame some of the worst
reviews of his career to claim the top spot at the US
Independence Day holiday box office with Hancock.
The comedy-drama, in which Smith plays a drunken superhero,
sold an estimated $66m worth of tickets across the
United States and Canada during the three days beginning July
4, distributor Columbia Pictures said on Sunday.
Since opening on July 2 - with Tuesday-night previews
rolled into Wednesday sales - the film has earned $107.3m, becoming his 8th consecutive No 1.
Smith, 39, has ruled the July 4 holiday weekend on five
occasions, beginning with 1996's Independence Day, his
all-time personal best.
Adjusted for ticket-price inflation,
the Hancock opening ranks at No 3 among those offerings,
according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo.
In Hancock, his slovenly character's unorthodox
crime-busting efforts cause more problems than they solve, and
he enlists a public-relations man, played by Jason Bateman, to
help restore his reputation among the displeased citizenry of
Los Angeles.
Critics were intrigued by the premise, but vexed
by a dramatic sub-plot involving Bateman's wife, played by
Charlize Theron.
Smith was last in theatres with the apocalyptic drama I Am
Legend, which ended up with $256m domestically after
opening last December.
Hancock, which cost about $150m to make, was
directed by Peter Berg, who was in theatres last year with the
Middle East thriller The Kingdom. Columbia is a unit of Sony
Corp.
Last weekend's champion, Walt Disney Co's robot love story
WALL-E, slipped to No 2 with $33.4m, taking its
10-day total to $128.1m.
- Reuters
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South Africa
