'Semi-Pro' nets $15 million at weekend box office
LOS ANGELES — Will Ferrell's basketball comedy "Semi-Pro" dribbled to the top of the weekend box office, but it fell short of his previous blockbuster openings in the sports spoof genre.
The New Line Cinema film, starring Ferrell as the owner of a fictional basketball franchise, grossed $15.3 million in its weekend debut. That was lackluster compared to Ferrell's 2006 NASCAR parody "Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," which opened at $47 million, and last year's figure skating comedy "Blades of Glory," which earned $33 million in its first weekend.
Last weekend's top film, the Sony Pictures terrorism thriller "Vantage Point," dropped to second place.
Sony's new release "The Other Boleyn Girl" performed better than expected, opening at No. 4 with $8.3 million at 1,166 theaters. Its $7,118 per theater average outdistanced other movies in the marketplace.
1. "Semi-Pro," $15.3 million.
2. "Vantage Point," $13 million.
3. "Spiderwick Chronicles," $8.8 million.
4. "The Other Boleyn Girl," $8.3 million
5. "Jumper," $7.6 million.
6. "Step Up 2 The Streets," $5.7 million.
7. "Fool's Gold," $4.7 million.
8. "Penelope," $4 million.
9. "No Country For Old Men," $4 million.
10. "Juno," $3.4 million.
