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Movie Goers Not Rockin' "Rock Of Ages"

LOS ANGELES (CBSMiami/AP) — South Florida movie goers were not rockin' the movie "Rock of Ages" on its opening weekend.

The star-studded musical "Rock of Ages," which was shot in South Florida, flopped at No. 3 with $15.1 million.

Ben Stiller and his voice co-stars of "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" held on to the No. 1 spot again with $35.5 million.

Studio estimates Sunday put Ridley Scott's sci-fi adventure "Prometheus" at No. 2 again with $20.2 million.

Adam Sandler's "That's My Boy" bombed with $13 million, the worst showing for one of his broad comedies since the mid-1990s. "That's My Boy" came in at No. 5, behind the $13.8 million for "Snow White & the Huntsman," a film that's been out for three weekends already.

"Sure, we would have liked to have done more," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution at Sony, which released "That's My Boy" and most of Sandler's past movies. "But you've got to give it to Adam. He mixes it up. This is a really off-the-wall comedy."

"That's My Boy" stars Sandler as a guy who became a fleeting teen celebrity after getting his seventh-grade teacher pregnant and now is a middle-aged loser trying to reconnect with his son (Andy Samberg).

The R rating for "That's My Boy" may have cut into the movie's business, prohibiting those under 17 from seeing it without an adult. Sandler's comedies usually are rated PG-13.

Among Sandler's mainstream live-action comedies, it was the worst debut since 1996's "Happy Gilmore," which played in far fewer theaters than "That's My Boy" and came as Sandler was just climbing to stardom. And factoring in today's higher admission prices, "That's My Boy" sold fewer tickets than "Happy Gilmore."

Warner Bros. had its own dud with "Rock of Ages," adapted from the stage show built around 1980s rock hits and featuring an ensemble that includes Cruise, Zeta-Jones, Baldwin, Julianne Hough and Mary J. Blige.

Dan Fellman, the studio's head of distribution, was not ready to pull the plug on the movie, saying he hoped it might hang on in subsequent weekends. "Rock of Ages" drew mostly older, female crowds, an audience that does not necessarily rush out to a movie over opening weekend.

"Musicals, there have been a couple in the summer like "Hairspray" and "Mamma Mia!", that tend to have good holding power as counter-programming. We're hoping we can get back on track," Fellman said.

"Rock of Ages" added $4.1 million in a handful of overseas markets.

Between "Rock of Ages" and "That's My Boy," Hollywood fell back into a pattern that persisted at the start of summer season in May as new movies debuted weakly, unable to dislodge strong holdovers.
The superhero tale "The Avengers" has dominated so far, remaining in the top-10 after seven weekends, its $8.8 million take raising its domestic total to $586.7 million. The film has taken in $1.4 billion worldwide.

There have been only a few other hits, including "Men in Black 3," ''Madagascar 3" and "Snow White & the Huntsman."

"That's My Boy" and "Rock of Ages" have joined Johnny Depp's "Dark Shadows" among star-driven releases that fell flat.

"It doesn't always follow that big stars bring in the big bucks," said Paul Dergarabedian, analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "'Madagascar' and 'Prometheus' tell you that it's about the concept more than the stars."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," $35.5 million ($53 million international).
2. "Prometheus," $20.2 million ($25.5 million international).
3. "Rock of Ages," $15.1 million ($4.1 million international).
4. "Snow White & the Huntsman," $13.8 million.
5. "That's My Boy," $13 million.
6. "Men in Black 3," $10 million ($19.7 million international).
7. "The Avengers," $8.8 million ($3.9 million international).
8. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," $2.2 million.
9. "Moonrise Kingdom," $2.18 million.
10. "What to Expect When You're Expecting," $1.3 million.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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