The opening of “MacGruber” this weekend assures that the disappointing opening of “Shrek: The Final Chapter” might elude some of the world’s harsher criticism.
The film was far from a runaway success, given the franchise’s standards; its $20.8 million opening Friday is barely more than 50% of what “Shrek the Third” did in its 2007 debut ($38.4 million). Even with a Saturday boost due to matinée crowds, the film does not appear capable of a $100 million opening weekend and thus proves the franchise, while still lucrative, has beyond peaked.
The 3-D gimmick also did nothing to keep the “Shrek” buzz alive, as it is unlikely that even a non-3D fourth film would have opened any worse–and if it would have, it still shows that the franchise has taken a beating over the years.
But with fellow new release “MacGruber” opening as a legitimate bomb, it is hard to get too angry about the performance for the fourth film in a franchise. The “SNL” adaptation posted just $1.6 million in receipts Friday for a fifth place finish.
Elsewhere, “Iron Man 2” was second with $7.5 million, “Robin Hood” placed third with $5.6 million and “Letters to Juliet” was fourth with $3 million.