What Bat? "Mamma Mia!" Breaks Musical Box Office Record

USA Today:

There was another record-breaker at theaters this weekend, and it didn't involve men in bat suits.

Mamma Mia!, the ABBA-inspired film starring Meryl Streep, quietly enjoyed the strongest debut for a musical. If estimates hold, Mamma Mia!'s $27.6 million opening will squeak by Hairspray, which set the mark last year with $27.5 million.

It was all part of the busiest weekend ever as more than $258 million poured into the box office, Nielsen EDI reported. The old record was $218 million over the weekend of July 2, 2006.

Read the whole story: USA Today

Comments

[NoSillyName]

Surely, see the word "Musical" in the title of this item. "The Bat" is not in the same genre.

[cinemaven]

Yup, Brosnan sings incredibly badly, the premise is silly, everyone looks their actual age and Streep bouncing on the bed while she sings at 58 is just goofy BUT it all works and everyone I know who's seen it came out happy and singing...­.

There was a full house when I saw this movie and during the "encore" song, the audience burst into song and ended with huge applause. I've never seen anything like it at the movies. It was just a simple happy time and I've already made plans to go back with friends who haven't seen it.

[meanguy]

the horror, the horror...

[hilts]

Mamma Mia should be required viewing for all of the detainees at Gitmo. I saw this movie and it was pure torture to sit through it. It's simply the worst movie musical of all-time. Meryl Streep should be ashamed of herself for tranishing her great career by appearing in this montrosity of a movie. Brosnan, Skarsgard, and Firth should have known better than to get involved in this godawful film.

[Eric8869]

Worst movie musical of ALL TIME?? Don't be so dramatic.

Have you seen PAINT YOUR WAGON with Clint Eastwood or GYPSY with Roz Russel or Lucille Ball in MAME or Annie with Carol Burnett or A Chorus Line......

Mama Mia is hardly the worst movie musical of all time.

[tmt35]

Saw it over the weekend. It made me happy! What else is there? Not everything has to be a literary masterpiece; it is an escape which we all need sometimes. LOVED IT-Meryl Streep is wonderful at everything.

[Topfeeder]

Saw it online.
It sux!
Who cares how much it makes at the box office.
It still sux.
People by millions of CROCS too. They are still ugly.

[thicky]

though technically music, the sounds of abba are more accurately labeled as anti-music. or maybe zombie-music, not in the sense of a great caribbean beat, but like a stumbling rotting rancid corpse that is re-animated, lacking a soul, hungry only for your brains . . . brains . . . brains . . .

the desolate soulless "music" of abba is a conspiracy to end life as we know it by turning human-beings into lifeless automatons.

[ProudLiberalDan]

I had a lot of fun at this movie.

I love Abba, always have, and Meryl Streep and the whole cast is wonderful.

Is it the greatest musical film ever? No. But I had a wonderful time.

Voulez Vous....

[ianmcc]

Only the happiest movie EVER!!! Sure it has it's dose of sugar that some would complain to be too sweet, but I found the happiness and exuberance of the movie a joy to watch, and I watched it TWICE this past weekend!

[Eric8869]

ok where are all those huffpo commenters saying this movie was going to be a bomb. I told you so!