Special Coverage The Photo IssueThe Must List2008 Fall TV2008 Fall Movies2008 Fall Music
''Failure'': McConaughey's biggest success yet | 175110__failure_l
SMOOTH SAILING Apparently audiences love McConaughey (with costar Parker) as a romantic lead
Failure to Launch: Frank Masi
By Dave Karger
Dave Karger
Dave Karger
Dave Karger, a senior writer at EW, also reports on box office and other movie- related matters on NBC's ''Today''

Is Matthew McConaughey America's new favorite romantic leading man? McConaughey, who started his career with dramas like A Time to Kill but scored his biggest opening with How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, has topped his own personal best this weekend with Failure to Launch, which premiered with $24.6 million, according to studio estimates.

That's just better than the $23.8 million How to Lose a Guy made in its first weekend a few years ago, and a huge improvement on his sports-betting drama Two for the Money, which only debuted with $8.7 million last fall. Failure overcame mixed reviews (not to mention a horrible title) and was obviously helped by the presence of costar Sarah Jessica Parker.

Far behind in second place was Tim Allen's silly comedy The Shaggy Dog, which opened with a mediocre $16 million despite playing in more than 3,000 theaters. The weekend's other new wide release, The Hills Have Eyes, placed third with $15.5 million.

Bruce Willis' drama 16 Blocks slipped 38 percent in its second weekend to $7.3 million, while Madea's Family Reunion, No. 1 last week, almost fell all the way out of the top five with $5.8 million, down another 54 percent.


Posted Mar 12, 2006 | Order Article Reprints