Amy Schumer has officially become part of Hollywood’s A-list — according to Variety and box-office receipts, at least. Schumer’s debut feature, “Trainwreck,” is an undisputed success. Positive reviews and Schumer’s rising profile helped steer “Trainwreck” to the number-two spot at the domestic box office. The comedy, which was made on a modest $35 million budget, earned an impressive $30.2 million during its first three days. (Women accounted for 67% of ticket sales for “Trainwreck.”) “Ant-Man” technically came out on top by grossing $58 million domestically (and another $56 million internationally), but the Marvel film cost a whopping $130 million to make. That makes Schumer the weekend box office’s real winner, outperforming expectations and continuing full speed ahead on her path to world domination.
“This is the birth of a new film star,” declared Phil Contrino, vice president and chief analyst at BoxOffice.com. “She’s going to get tons of offers. This puts her in the same realm as Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig.” Indeed, “Trainwreck” opened bigger than both “Spy” and “Bridesmaids.” As far as we can recall, 2011’s “Bad Teacher” is the only comedy with a single female lead to debut bigger. Cameron Diaz’s sinfully inappropriate classroom antics generated $31.6 million during its opening weekend. (The ensemble films “Sex and the City” and “Sex and the City 2,” based on the HBO series, opened with $57 million and $45.2 million, respectively.)
Last week, Schumer’s Comedy Central show, “Inside Amy Schumer,” also racked up seven Emmy nominations, including Best Actress in a Comedy, Best Variety Show, Best Writing and Best Directing. The multi-talented Schumer penned the script for “Trainwreck.”
Schumer is entering household name territory. This is a female comedian who has publicly stated, “I think people hate women. I don’t think they want to hear a woman talk for too long.” And her remarkable achievements haven’t come at the expense of minimizing her feminist sensibilities: She’s loudly and proudly challenged sexism and is being enthusiastically embraced by an audience that calls bullshit on women having a “Last Fuckable Day.” Schumer’s popularity is a testament to the fact that people are ready for change.
[via Variety]
