Tammy easily came in No. 2, posting a Wednesday-Sunday debut of $32.9 million, including $21.2 million for the weekend. The movie, earning scathing notices and a C+ CinemaScore from audiences, came in well behind the $39 million debut of The Heat last year, although that film co-starred Sandra Bullock. It also came in behind McCarthy’s Identity Thief ($34.6 million).
Tammy, marking the feature directorial debut of McCarthy’s husband, Ben Falcone, cost New Line and Warner Bros. $20 million to make, a relatively modest number for a studio comedy.
“There’s nothing wrong here,” said Warner Bros. distribution chief Dan Fellman. “It’s true that tracking was more favorable for us going into the weekend, but this was a $20 million movie. This is a movie Melissa did by herself with her husband. It doesn’t have a big supporting star like Sandy.”