Who's Your Papa? 'Cowboys and Aliens' Gets Owned at Box Office by 'The Smurfs'
by Richard Sharp
Who's your Papa, John Favreau? We'll give you a hint. He's blue, he's bearded and he's comin' at you in 3D.
Papa Smurf and his blue crew scored a surprise win on Friday, beating out Favreau's massive blockbuster "Cowboys and Aliens," despite that film having the star power and built-in sex appeal of Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde.
Nostalgia (and probably a very large stoner contingent) ruled the day, as "The Smurfs" brought in $13.3 million at the box office, compared to the $12.9 million brought in by "Cowboys and Aliens," despite considerable promotional efforts for the sci-fi-meets-western bonanza.
"Cowboys and Aliens" brought in an abysmal 44.5% critic's rating on Rotten Tomatoes, though the film had a 75% positive audience rating. "The Smurfs" was also widely panned (29% on RT), but young audiences have been giving the film positive reviews, and the additional 3D revenue couldn't have hurt.
In other "Smurfs" news, theater owners reported a shortage of JujuBe's, Slurpees and Snowcaps during screenings of the show.