School was out, but serious students of pop culture (i.e. Collegian entertainment reporters) had no excuse for slacking off. Not when scores of blockbuster movies and huge albums dropped like bombs in Pearl Harbor. Read below to see what flew and what downright blew.
WINNERS
American Pie 2 – And one time at the box office… the sequel to American Pie opened with $45.1 million making it the biggest opening for an R-rated comedy. Hungry for thirds?
The Fast and the Furious – The racecar flick revved up over $40 million and helped kick-start Vin Diesel’s acting career. A sequel is already in the wor…er, dealership.
Shrek – Color him happy! Shrek turned out to be a green machine taking in over $260, making it the biggest movie of the summer.
Alicia Keys – Propelled to stardom with her hit gospel single “Fallin,'” the soul-songstress’ Songs in a Minor debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and hasn’t fallen out of the top 10 since.
Destiny’s Child – Survivor sold an impressive 3 million units (and counting), earned critical acclaim, and churned out two summer no. 1 hits, “Survivor” and “Bootylicious.” With that success, Destiny’s Child became the Independent Women of summer.
Madonna – Music makes the people come together indeed. The Material Mom’s sold-out Drowned World Tour 2001 became the must-see concert event of the year. Her first tour in eight years mesmerized audiences and critics around the globe. And the Queen of Pop reportedly generated $50 million in US ticket sales alone.
Whitney Houston – Arista Records will pay her $100 million, plus bonuses, for six new albums and two hits compilations. Her first single will be “Greatest Money of All.”
SPLIT DECISION
Teen Pop – Critics have been waiting for this opportunity for years: proclaiming teen pop over. With slumping record sales (Mandy Moore, Jessica Simpson, even-insert ear-piercing scream here-the Backstreet
Boys) teen pop may go bust any minute. However, ‘N Sync (read below) still hold relatively strong numbers and anticipation for Britney’s third album, over two months away, is particularly high.
‘N Sync – Celebrity sold 1.88 million units it’s first week out, entering the books as the second-best opening week figure in SoundScan’s history. But their previous effort, No Strings Attached, sold 2.4 million upon entry last year. Does this signal a wilting teen pop fan base or does it mean ‘N Sync actually have legs?
LOSERS
Angelina Jolie – Lara Croft: Tomb Raider under-performed and Original Sin, co-starring Antonio Banderas, entered the tomb with less than $20 million.
A.I. – With a box office gross of $76.7 million, the $90 million fairy tale about a robot starring Haley Joel Osment, rusted faster than you can say “I see a dead movie.”
Freddy Got Fingered – With a paltry $13.7 million gross, Freddy (and star Tom Green) got more than fingered at the box office. Hey, it’s never too late to move back in with the ‘rents.
Scary Movie 2 – The sequel to last summer’s lampoon flick scared up only $70 million. Anyone care to ask the Wayans brothers who the real idiots are now?
Pearl Harbor – A $194.6 million box office take ain’t bad, but considering the World War II epic cost $135 million and analysts predicted a box office take of $300 million, Harbor bombed.
