'Benchwarmers' defies critics; heats up box office

BY RICK HOLTER

The Dallas Morning News

Well, it wasn't Rob Schneider. And it sure wasn't David Spade. Two guys made "The Benchwarmers" the surprise movie of last week: Adam Sandler and Napoleon Dynamite.

Sandler's company produced this widely trashed comedy, and "Napoleon" star Jon Heder brought out the Pedro vote. The result was a shocking $19.7 million No. 2 debut.

Guess those studio strong-arm tactics -- muscling out critics and trashing the one who did manage to review in advance -- work after all.

The other big news from last weekend's movie box office sales was that "Ice Age: The Meltdown" remained the No. 1 film in the country. It dropped by half from its opening weekend, but the $33.8 million it pulled in week two was still enough to easily dominate multiplexes and top the chart.

The other big lesson from last weekend's openings is that you can't overcome a terrible title. Just ask the makers of "Lucky Number Slevin," a pleasantly received caper flick that tanked in its opening weekend. A No. 5 finish with $7 million might be bearable for the limited-release crowd, but with names like Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Josh Harnett and Morgan Freeman aboard, this is a train wreck, lucky or not.

As for this week's movie openings, our best is that "Scary Movie 4" will get first place at the box office. It's hard to believe, but the "Scary Movie" trilogy has made $640 million worldwide.