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SEMI PRO IS SLAM DUMPED Monday, March 3 2008 
Box-office
receipts
barely
dribbled
in
over
the
weekend
for
Will
Ferrell's
basketball
spoof
Semi-Pro.
Although
it
beat
all
other
contenders
for
the
top
spot,
the
movie
wound
up
with
only
$15.3
million
in
ticket
sales,
yet
another
disappointment
for
its
ailing
distributor,
New
Line
Cinema,
which
last
week
learned
that
it
was
being
absorbed
by
Warner
Bros.
Many
box-office
analysts
had
predicted
that
the
movie
would
earn
$25-30
million,
somewhat
below
the
$33
million
earned
(more)NEW LINE EMPLOYEES LEARN THEIR FATE Monday, March 3 2008 
At
least
75
percent
of
New
Line's
staff
of
600
are
likely
to
be
fired
in
the
coming
months
despite
assurances
by
Time
Warner
chief
Jeff
Bewkes
on
Friday
that
he
wants
to
retain
as
many
New
Line
employees
as
possible,
Daily
Variety
reported
today
(Monday),
citing
an
"emerging
consensus."
The
trade
publication
said
that
New
Line
is
also
expected
to
shut
down
its
offices
in
New
York
and
its
headquarters
in
West
Hollywood,
moving
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Amounting to a case of being kicked while they were down, departing New Line Cinema executives learned Monday that their latest film, Semi-Pro, starring Will Ferrell, had earned just $15.3 million during its opening weekend. The figure was about half what some box-office analysts had predicted the movie would earn. Only last week Time Warner announced that it would be shutting down most of New Line's operations, incorporating them into those of its other film studio, Warner Bros., and laying off some 600 employees, including the studio's co-chairmen. Semi-Pro wasn't the only film that fouled out. In its second week, Sony's Vantage Point slipped to $12.8 million, the only other film to finish in double digits. Paramount's The Spiderwick Chronicles slid to third place in its third week with $8.7 million. Sony's The Other Boleyn Girl opened in fourth place with $8.2 millioin, while Fox's Jumper rounded out the top five with $7.6 million. 
