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American Morning
"American Pie 2" Rules at Box Office
Aired August 13, 2001 - 10:39 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I was trying to explain what "American Pie" and "American Pie 2" is all about to Leon. He hasn't seen any either one .
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I haven't seen either one. And you say it is...
KAGAN: It's like "Porky's" of our generation, that's what it's like for this generation.
HARRIS: I don't know if that's a great comparison.
KAGAN: But I like the headline in "USA Today" in their purple section today, "American Pie 2" outgrosses the competition. "Gross" being the key word there.
HARRIS: All right. Well, let's get some more on that. Michael Okwu checks in from New York, has got more on that and the other news in "Showbiz Today."
Hey, Michael.
KAGAN: Hi, Michael.
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, guys. Leon, I know that you actually watched it. That's very slick, trying to distance yourself from the grossness.
HARRIS: I'm trying to salvage a reputation here, Michael. Please.
KAGAN: Do you think the "Porky's" analogy is a good one?
OKWU: I've got kids -- yes, "Porky's" is perfect, actually.
HARRIS: OK. OK.
OKWU: It was a weekend for a teen popularity contest and it brought out a surprise star appearance. Ben Affleck, currently in treatment for alcohol abuse, took the stage at the third annual Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles this weekend. The actor came to collect two awards, including the teens' choice as favorite actor.
And at the box office this weekend, seems teens had their say there, too. A runaway teen hit was just one sequel that stole the show at the cineplex.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "AMERICAN PIE 2")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Super start to a super summer, fellas. Welcome home.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Welcome home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OKWU: Who needed more popcorn? Moviegoers had a taste for more pie this weekend. The flaky teen comedy "American Pie 2" filled theaters, opening in the top spot with an estimated 45.1 million bucks in its freshman outing. That kept another sequel, "Rush Hour 2, " tied up in second place. The Jackie Chan-Chris Tucker karate-chopping cop comedy collected an estimated $31.5 million in its sophomore weekend.
"The Princess Diaries" locked up the third-place spot. The fairy tale, starring Julie Andrews, earned $14.1 million. At No. 4, audiences went hunting for ghosts and found "The Others." The new Nicole Kidman haunted house tale took in an estimated 13.7 bones. And "Planet of the Apes" landed in fifth place, collecting an estimated $13.3 million for the weekend.
Well, as we just said, "American Pie 2" made a lot of dough this weekend. The sequel to the 1999 hit picks up the summer after the last one left off. The kids are in college, but the comedy isn't exactly what you'd call "academic."
CNN's Paul Vercammen talked with the stars about their rowdy reunion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: It's a palace.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: It's a temple.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the site of an extra helping, "American Pie 2." All of the main characters from the first movie return.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Amazing.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Yes. The force is strong in that one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERCAMMEN: The sequel picks up after the "Pie" five's first year in college.
There's even a detour to band camp.
(on camera): Whose character is the bigger geek?
ALYSON HANNIGAN, ACTOR: He's the bigger geek. I can rock someone's world.
JASON BIGGS, ACTOR: You think Jim is the bigger geek?
HANNIGAN: Yes.
BIGGS: I think Michelle's the bigger geek. Just because sexually you might be more experienced, I'm -- you're more socially inept.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANNIGAN: Hi, Daddy.
BIGGS: Daddy?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EUGENE LEVY, ACTOR: I think I bring new meaning to the word "cool," honey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEVY: Keep it real, homies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERCAMMEN: Eugene Levy is still a deluded and devoted dad, concerned with his son's sex-capades.
LEVY: Well, he wants him to succeed in a very healthy kind of way, and he's -- couldn't be more supportive to that end.
VERCAMMEN: They made the first "American Pie " for $10 million. It served up $100 million at the North American box office, turning no-name actors into recognizable faces.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I get drunk frat guys who want to get wasted with me. He's got, like, beer on him.
SHANNON ELIZABETH, ACTOR: There's definitely an age range for it. It's definitely teenagers, college students.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You know what to expect it.
ELIZABETH: Yes, you do. HANNIGAN: Since the first one came out, it opened a lot of doors and opportunities, you know, I think, for a lot of us.
MENA SUVARI, ACTOR: I've learned a lot of things, I mean, about the business and what I want to do and where I want to go and all of that kind of stuff, you know.
VERCAMMEN (on camera): You went on to "American Beauty," you got married.
SUVARI: Yes. I've done a lot of things.
(voice-over): Suvari has fewer scenes in the second slice of "Pie," but there's many more for Sean William Scott in his coming-out party.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You're just trying to get me drunk.
SEAN WILLIAM SCOTT, ACTOR: Mary, would I do that?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: My name's Christy.
SCOTT: Christy, right, right! Beautiful name. Like it matters!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERCAMMEN: Is a pay raise in order?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: We all got 20 million a piece.
(LAUGHTER)
ELIZABETH: A day.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You got 22?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Yeah, a day.
VERCAMMEN: Such half-baked fantasy fills "American Pie 2."
Paul Vercammen, CNN Entertainment News, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OKWU: Coming up at 11:35 a.m. Eastern, analyst Marty Grove charts "Pie" and the rest of the goods fresh from the box office in our next "Showbiz Today Reports," so come on back!
I'm Michael Okwu reporting from New York. Back to you, Daryn and Leon, and you know, there's no word yet on what happens with baked goods in this last movie.
(LAUGHTER)
KAGAN: I just explained to him what it's all about.
HARRIS: She explained it to me and I tell you something, I ain't eating dessert for a long, long time.
KAGAN: No!
HARRIS: I don't think so. Eew!
OKWU: I'm sure she had to explain it to you, Leon.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: Thanks, guys.
KAGAN: It's like this.
HARRIS: Thanks for getting my back, buddy.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: Later to you, Michael.
KAGAN: We'll see you later. Thank you, Michael.
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