LOS ANGELES – Movie audiences are showing more appetite for Shrek than for sex over Memorial Day weekend.
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DreamWorks Animation’s sequel “Shrek Forever After” remained the No. 1 movie for a second weekend with $43.3 million from Friday to Sunday. The film raised its domestic total to $133.1 million.
That easily topped the Warner Bros. sequel “Sex and the City 2,” which was No. 2 with a $32.1 million debut that came in far below the $56.8 million opening weekend of its predecessor two years ago. Along with a $14.2 million haul in its first day Thursday, “Sex and the City 2” has brought in $46.3 million.
Debuting at No. 3 with $30.2 million was Disney’s action tale “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.”
Even with bad reviews and a running time of nearly 2 1/2 hours for “Sex and the City 2,” many in Hollywood had expected it to open at No. 1.
But the fourth “Shrek” installment, itself opening far below the previous sequels, held up strongly in its second weekend. Family crowds continued to pack theaters for what is billed as the final big-screen tale featuring voice stars Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas.
“Sex and the City 2” reunites the stars of the HBO series — Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon — for an adventure in Abu Dhabi.
Comic items fetch $1.3 million
PARIS – A life-size bronze statue of comic book reporter Tintin and more than 200 other items linked to the diminutive globetrotter have fetched more than $1.3 million at a Paris auction.
The most expensive lot was two inked and water-painted original panels from the 1938 “King Ottokar’s Sceptre” album, which went for $299,620.
The bronze statue, showing Tintin with his hands in his pockets and dog Snowy at his side, went for $153,650 in Saturday’s auction at the Drouot-Montaigne auction house.
Belgian artist Herge’s adventures of Tintin have been translated into nearly 80 languages and sold more than 200 million books since 1929. Racial and cultural stereotypes in books such as “Tintin in the Congo” have prompted criticism, but demand for Tintin artifacts remains strong.
Coleman character stays in
NEW YORK – An award-winning play that features a character based on Gary Coleman is planning to keep that character, even after the actor’s death Friday from a brain hemorrhage.
The creative team behind “Avenue Q” has decided to make only small tweaks to the role played by Danielle Thomas.
“Avenue Q” is about 20-something New Yorkers and features both humans and puppets. It won three 2004 Tony Awards, including best musical.
The Coleman character is a child star who now works as a building superintendent.
German wins song contest
OSLO, Norway – Germany’s Lena Meyer-Landrut won the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest with the catchy pop song “Satellite,” edging out Turkey and Romania as the continent put aside its financial woes for a night of musical exuberance.
It was Germany’s second win in the songfest’s 55-year history.
Meyer-Landrut, who turned 19 during the competition in Norway, won 246 points in the voting Saturday by a panel of judges and telephone votes from fans in the 39 participating countries.
Onstage after winning, Meyer-Landrut said, “I’m so happy and so thankful and so grateful.”
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