'Rock of Ages' and 'That's My Boy' overshadowed by holdovers

There's plenty of room for comedies and musicals in the summer movie season. Just look at Mamma Mia! and The Hangover, which thrived amidst the big-budget explode-a-thons that are a staple of air-conditioned multiplexes. Rock of Ages and That's My Boy will not be those palate cleansers to the masses. Both of the releases underperformed. Instead, Madagascar 3 and Prometheus repeated their one-two position and Rock of Ages and That's My Boy settled for third and fifth, respectively.

An adaptation of a Broadway jukebox musical, Rock of Ages earned $15 million drawing in a majority female audience. 74% of viewers were over the age of 25. That does makes sense for a story that's set in the 1980s, but would it have been that hard to draw in younger viewers who love shows like "Glee" but are way too young to feel nostalgic for the age of  spandex and teased hair? Though figures around $20 million were predicted for the feature, it actually didn't perform that badly for a musical, recording the sixth-highest opening weekend for the genre.

When you take into account ticket inflation, That's My Boy, at $13 million, is the worst Adam Sandler debut ever. Its $15 million opening weekend put it behind last year's Jack and Jill ($25 million opening) and his 2000 flop Little Nicky ($16 million). Is Adam Sandler's man-boy act up? It's been seventeen years since his first big hit, Billy Madison. I wonder if some of Sandler's fans have grown tired of him. 51% of Sandler's audience was under 25, which actually feels low given his juvenile approach to humor. The R-rating of the picture likely alienated some of Sandler's audience and upped the average age of viewers. I bet he will stick to PG-13 next time.

Your Sister's Sister posted the best indie debut of the week, averaging $9,000 per screen in thirteen locations. Moonrise Kingdom, now in its fourth week, posted the highest per-screen average of all releases, placing ninth with $2.1 million while still only playing in just 178 locations. FilmDistrict's release of Safety Not Guaranteed, which has been enjoying a wave of postive reviews, went up 202% from its opening week, averaging $6,400 per screen in 46 locations.

This Friday, Pixar's Brave will release (read our interview with the director here). Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, and a limited release of Woody Allen's To Rome with Love will round out the bunch.