Semi Pro Rocks The Weekend Box Office Feb 29 - March 2, 2008)

LAST WEEKEND Will Ferrell scored another number one hit but attracted smaller-than-expected crowds to his new basketball comedy Semi-Pro leading the North American box office to slump to its worst showing in three months. Opening in semi-national release, the period romance The Other Boleyn Girl performed well but the comedy Penelope stumbled and barely made the top ten.

Ferrell's latest attempt to mine laughs out of sports came in the form of Semi-Pro which opened atop the charts this weekend to $15.1M. The New Line release averaged a decent $4,830 from 3,121 sites but did not match the numbers of the funnyman's other recent debuts like Blades of Glory ($33M), Talladega Nights ($47M), and Anchorman ($28.4M). Those were all rated PG-13 allowing the comedian's teen fans to buy tickets while Semi-Pro carried the more restrictive R which most likely affected ticket sales. It was the lowest gross for a number one film since Jodie Foster's The Brave One which debuted to $13.5M last September.

Sony's hit assassination thriller Vantage Point fell to second place but enjoyed a good hold dropping 44% to $12.8M. The ensemble actioner has banked a terrific $40.8M in ten days and has benefited from a highly effective marketing push by the studio. Look for a domestic final of $70-75M.

Holding up even better was the fantasy adventure The Spiderwick Chronicles with $8.7M. The Paramount pic slipped only 34% and is taking advantage of a marketplace lacking other options for families. Cume is $55M.

Sony scored a solid debut for its period drama The Other Boleyn Girl which bowed to $8.2M from only 1,166 locations for an impressive $7,035 average. It was the best per-theater performance of any film in the Top 20. Starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, and Eric Bana, the PG-13 film played overwhelmingly to young women. Studio research indicated that the audience was 72% female and 66% under 35. Reviews were not very positive.

Jumper jumped down to fifth dropping 40% to $7.6M giving Fox $66.8M to date. Buena Vista's urban dance pic Step Up 2 The Streets followed with $5.7M, off 40%, for a $48.6M cume. The Matthew McConaughey-Kate Hudson reunion pic Fool's Gold grossed $4.4M, down only 33%, and raised its sum to $58.8M for Warner Bros.

Oscar king No Country For Old Men expanded from 1,101 to 2,037 sites to capitalize on its Academy Award attention and climbed back into the top ten with $4.1M. Miramax has grossed $69.7M to date and should be headed past the $80M mark domestically. Summit debuted its Christina Ricci pic Penelope in 1,196 locations to $3.8M and averaged a mild $3,179. The PG-rated film appealed to a more female audience and saw direct competition from the solid launch of Boleyn. Reviews were mixed. Definitely, Maybe followed with $3.4M, down 35%, for a $26.7M sum ~ BoxOfficeGuru.

#	Title	Feb 29 - Mar 2				Weeks		Cumulative	Distributor
1	Semi-Pro	$ 15,075,114				1		$ 15,075,114	New Line
2	Vantage Point	12,819,245				2		40,823,745	Sony
3	The Spiderwick Chronicles	8,700,378				3		55,028,942	Paramount
4	The Other Boleyn Girl	8,203,061				1		8,203,061	Sony
5	Jumper	7,568,462				3		66,790,968	Fox
6	Step Up 2 The Streets	5,742,479				3		48,621,711	Buena Vista
7	Fool's Gold	4,418,229				4		58,800,790	Warner Bros.
8	No Country For Old Men	4,114,994				17		69,680,625	Miramax
9	Penelope	3,802,144				1		3,802,144	Summit
10	Definitely, Maybe	3,382,005				3		26,650,585	Universal
11	Juno	3,264,570				13		135,049,108	Fox Searchlight
12	Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins	2,646,570				4		39,128,395	Universal
13	Be Kind Rewind	2,089,157				2		7,123,561	New Line
14	The Bucket List	1,693,430				10		87,604,043	Warner Bros.
15	There Will Be Blood	1,547,177				10		37,572,245	Par. Vantage
16	Witless Protection	977,581				2		3,485,150	Lionsgate
17	Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus	948,075				5		63,167,101	Buena Vista
18	27 Dresses	855,724				7		74,466,610	Fox
19	Charlie Bartlett	836,285				2		3,254,225	MGM
20	The Eye	779,186				5		30,046,798	Lionsgate