The big news from the weekend is that Adam Sandler’s new film is a box office dud. The comedian chose to abandon the PG-13 sector which is responsible for his rise to fame over the years in favor for a return to his stand-up roots and he paid dearly for it.
That’s My Boy cost over $70 million to make, yet it only opened in the mid-teens thanks in part to some harsh reviews and poor word of mouth. This opening suggests maybe a $45 million domestic haul when it is all said and done; however, that in itself could be a challenge given that rival R-rated comedy Ted opens in two weeks’ time giving That’s My Boy a short window to recoup its investment.
Seeing how this is the second consecutive domestic underperformer for Sandler, a lot of people are already preparing to write him off. Many are citing Jack & Jill as the ‘jumped the shark’ moment in the actor’s career, but they are completely forgetting that his last effort still found $150 million at the global box office despite lackluster reviews. That said, let’s turn it down a notch on the ‘his career is over’ talk.
Grown Ups 2 will be Sandler’s next big picture. That movie hits theaters next summer and considering the runaway success at the box office for that one ($162 million domestic,) it is hard to imagine the movie will be another financial disaster for the former Saturday Night Live cast member. Beyond that, he is set to team with Will Ferrell in his third football movie. This one is called Three Mississippi, and it will actually serve to reunite Sandler with Sean Anders who happened to direct this week’s flop.