New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

Disco is not, in fact, dead.

Kim Hollis: Mamma Mia! opened to $27.7 million. What do you think of this result?

Max Braden: After hearing clips of Meryl Streep butcher the songs, I'm surprised it did that much. It's a small number, though, when you consider that ABBA was once offered $1 billion to reunite for a world tour. This probably doesn't mean we'll see a New Kids on the Block movie anytime soon.

David Mumpower: Last year when Hairspray was released, I chronicled how rarely a musical opens huge. For comparison, Dreamgirls debuted to $14.0 million, Moulin Rouge! made $13.7 million and Chicago brought in $10.8 million its first weekend in wide release. So, Mamma Mia! has made as much on opening weekend as Dreamgirls and Moulin Rouge! combined. That's pretty strong.

Brandon Scott: It's matched the ozone-destroying Hairspray's opening last year. This is a very good result and effective counter-programming to its fullest.

Tim Briody: I'm truly surprised how many people were willing to take a chance on Mamma Mia!

Shane Jenkins: It certainly raked in the Money Money Money!

David Mumpower: I loathe both of you ear worm-giving freaks.

Scott Lumley: I think as Americans (And Canadians), we need to take a stand against things. ABBA related musicals are one of these things. Sure, it did well against Batman. It's not something I ever really wanted to see in the first place. I'm certain it will make a nice profit and all, but I think going to see a musical in a movie theatre is like going to an Italian restaurant and ordering Pad Thai - kind of ridiculous.





Daron Aldridge: It met my expectations, which was that it would be similar to Hairspray. But wow, their opening weekends are almost identical. The lessons seems to be that for future musicals, when transferring a stage musical to film, keep the budget reasonably low and you can turn a nice profit quickly. Great job to Reagen for predicting this total within $500,000.

Jamie Ruccio: Given that it took in anywhere from $44 million to $52 million a year during all but two years of its Broadway run by selling anywhere from 8,000 to 13,000 seats a week, I'd say there was a built-in audience for Mamma Mia!. I know that my neighbor, who I can't imagine is into musicals let along musicals that featured ABBA, raved about it years ago.

Continued:       1       2       3