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"Dreamgirls" Falls to Sixth Place at Weekend Box Office
By Andrew Gans
29 Jan 2007
For the first time since its nationwide release on Christmas Day, "Dreamgirls" was not among the top five highest-grossing films of the weekend.
The movie musical, which won two SAG Awards Jan. 28, was only one step away from the top five, however. Earning $6,618,000 during the Jan. 26-28 weekend, the Bill Condon-directed film was the sixth highest-grossing film of that time period. To date, the film — nominated for eight Academy Awards — has brought in $86,651,000.
The highest-grossing film of the weekend just ended was "Epic Movie." Other titles in the top five include "Smokin' Aces," "Night at the Museum," "Catch and Release" and "Stomp the Yard."
"Dreamgirls" premiered in Manhattan Dec. 4 at the Ziegfeld Theatre. Following its premiere, the film played 10-day roadshow engagements at the Ziegfeld, Hollywood's Cinerama Dome and San Francisco's Metreon.
"Dreamgirls" stars Jennifer Hudson as Effie, Beyoncé Knowles as Deena Jones, Anika Noni Rose as Lorrell Robinson, Jamie Fox as Curtis Taylor Jr., Eddie Murphy as James "Thunder" Early and Danny Glover as Marty. Director Bill Condon also wrote the film's screenplay based on the late Tom Eyen's book. The film employs most of the original score by Eyen and Henry Krieger as well as four new tunes: "Love You I Do" (for Effie), "Listen" (for Deena), "Patience" (for James "Thunder" Early) and "Perfect World" (for Teddy Campbell, a child musical sensation rising alongside The Dreams).
"Dreamgirls," according to the film's official website, "follows the rise of a trio of women — Deena (Beyoncé Knowles), Effie (Jennifer Hudson) and Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose) — who have formed a promising girl group called The Dreamettes. At a talent competition, they are discovered by an ambitious manager named Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Jamie Foxx), who offers them the opportunity of a lifetime: to become the back-up singers for headliner James 'Thunder' Early (Eddie Murphy). Curtis gradually takes control of the girls' look and sound, eventually giving them their own shot in the spotlight as The Dreams. The spotlight, however, begins to narrow in on Deena, finally pushing back the less attractive Effie out altogether. Though the Dreams become a crossover phenomenon, they soon realize that the cost of fame and fortune may be higher than they ever imagined."
The musical Dreamgirls, which concerns the rise of a Supremes-like singing group amid a flurry of infighting, debuted at Broadway's Imperial Theatre on Dec. 9, 1981, playing 1,521 performances before closing Aug. 11, 1985. The original cast featured Obba Babatundé, Cleavant Derricks, Loretta Devine, Ben Harney, Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Deborah Burrell. The show lost the Tony for Best Musical to Maury Yeston's Nine. A 1987 revival at the Ambassador Theatre starred Lillias White, Alisa Gyse, Kevyn Morrow, Weyman Thompson and Arnetia Walker.
For more information visit www.dreamgirlsmovie.com.
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