Box Office

Couples Retreat Defies Reviews

Maligned comedy brings in $35 million.

It’s drawn cringes and ruthless reviews across the board, but Vince Vaughn’s latest laugh-a-minute vehicle, Couples Retreat, managed to top the box office this weekend, taking in $35 million. Even prior to its release, the comedy was subject to public flogging, garnering a meager 16 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was so bad it reportedly led to the firing of the executives at Universal responsible for greenlighting it. This weekend’s unexpected success is likely to drop off in the coming weeks, and if the mounting buzz and numbers for Paranormal Activity are any indication, horror might overtake the box-office crown soon enough. The Blair Witch-esque film took in $6.5 million from only 159 theaters, and is set to open in wide release on October 16.