lifestyle MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 2014 FEATURES A Clown Festival

Malaysian clown Mohammad Bukhari, aka Mr JAJA, gestures during a Clown Festival.

Clowns pose for a selfie after a parade during the Clown Festival in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. (Right) Malaysian clown Sam Tee, aka Uncle Button, rides a bicycle. — AFP photos

A Malaysian clown named Mr Potato drives his Beetle during the Clown A clown’s shoes are seen prior to a parade. Malaysian clown Sam Tee, aka Uncle Button, prepares to take part in a Festival. Clown Festival. Laughing matter: ‘Patch Adams’ brings ‘Expendables 3’ fumbles with humor therapy $16.2 million, ‘Ninja Turtles’ tops charts

he Expendables 3’ looked like a controversy played out in Ferguson, Mo., franchise that needs to be put out where the shooting death of an unarmed ‘Tto pasture after the latest film in the 18-year old by police led to protests. action junkie series debuted to a scrawny Aronson said there was no impact on “Let’s $16.2 million this weekend, according to Be Cops’” box office, noting that art didn’t studio estimates. “Expendables’” lack of mus- really imitate life in this case. “As unfortu- cle allowed “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” nate as that situation is, audiences aren’t to retain the box office crown it wore last making a connection,” said Aronson. “This is weekend. Paramount Pictures’ reboot of the a flat-out farce.” reptile martial artists series grabbed first place on the charts with $28.4 million in its Impressive legs Hunter Doherty, the US physician and clown who sophomore weekend. That brings its domes- It counts as a win for Fox, in a summer inspired the movie ‘Patch Adams’ starring Robin tic total to $117.6 million. filled with them-one that’s seen the releases Williams, gestures during a meeting with support Another holdover, Marvel’s “Guardians of of “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “The Fault in the Galaxy,” scored runner-up status. The Our Stars” and “Dawn of the Planet of the groups participating in the ‘Tell me everything comic book adaptation pulled in $24.7 mil- Apes,” which danced past $200 million about Cancer’ symposium, at a cancer treatment lion, driving its total domestic box office to on Tuesday. expected the picture to perform even more domestically this weekend. The weekend’s hospital in Lima on August 13, 2014. —AFP $222.3 million. It looks like it will end up as “My take away? Audiences want to strongly, possibly passing $20 million for the other wide release, “The Giver,” took in a the summer’s top grossing domestic release, laugh,” said Chris Aronson, Fox’s distribution weekend, but the critics were savage, which middling $12.8 million over 3,003 locations. ubbling with optimism and energy, the US physician chief. “Any time you can gross more than likely held down numbers slightly. who was the inspiration for the Robin Williams film passing “Transformers: Age of Extinction’s” The Weinstein Company backed the $25- $243.3 million haul. “Expendables 3’s” open- your budget in three days is pretty cool.” The film, which pokes fun at boys in blue, million budgeted film, which adapts Lois B“Patch Adams” will do anything to elicit a soothing Going into the weekend, some analysts arrived while a real life law enforcement laugh. Even something as bawdy as flatulence is not out of ing was a low-point for Sylvester Stallone’s Lowry’s widely-read futuristic novel. bounds for Hunter Adams. He addressed that earthy issue geriatric heroes on a mission pictures. The The studio had expected the film to this week during a visit to Peruvian children with cancer and original film launched to $34.8 million in debut in the mid-teens and was disappoint- brought the house down. Adams works on the premise that 2010 while the second installment debuted Jackie Chan approached for ed by the results. “The Giver” brought in a humor and clowning around is good for sick people. to $28.6 in 2012. Audiences may have grown crowd that was two-thirds female, and 53% During a recent visit to a hospital for cancer patients, the tired of watching AARP members with guns, ‘Expendables 4,’ ‘Rush Hour 4’ under the age of 25. It played particularly 69-year-old doctor told stories of sick people who learned to even if the producers excavated a few new well to girls under the age of 17. “For its core be happy through compassion and laughter. He wants to Box Office aging Reagan-era stars in the form of ackie Chan is in high demand. week during a Q& A in London pro- demo, they really like it,” said Erik Lomis, The spread the message around the world. “My job is to love and Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson. According to the legendary action moting his film “Chinese Zodiac.” “Unless Weinstein’s Company’s head of theatrical be affectionate, to help those who are suffering. Spirituality It’s been nearly a decade since Indiana Jstar, he’s been approached for three we have a better script. Just like lately distribution. “Young girls go crazy for it and cures,” he told dozens of cancer patients at a seminar on Jones and Martin Riggs opened a picture, potential sequels: “Expendables 4’ “Rush they want to make ‘Rush Hour 4.’ I said we’ve had a lot of success in middle breast cancer. but “The Expendables 3’ may also have been Hour 4’ and “Drunken Master 3.” “Sly ‘No, show me the script first. I don’t need America. When the dust settles, the movie With a bright, multicolored outfit and the round, red nose hurt by piracy. Three weeks before the film (Stallone) wants me for ‘Expendables 4,’” another ‘Rush Hour 4.’ You need ‘Rush will find its audience.” of a clown, Adams and a group of aides visited children, hit theaters, a leaked copy was downloaded he told Den of Geek earlier this week. “I “The Hundred-Foot Journey” barely reg- youths and adults who suffer from cancer. He made them 189,000 times through piracy sites. said, ‘okay.’ Because they already asked istered last weekend, when the news was all laugh, and helped them forget their illness for a while. “There Lionsgate, which is distributing the film in me to be in two and three, but I refused. about “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’” box is something that is funny in all countries: how we emit gas, North America, did not release a budget, Well, I didn’t refuse, but I said, ‘Sly, can’t office dominance, but the dueling chefs dra- or farts, something which is common and normal in all but if Stallone and company want to get we just do you and me’ Not just a bunch ma has some impressive legs. The film humans,” said the doc, triggering roars of laughter at the into profitable terrain, they’ll need to do so of people and me only coming out for dropped a mere 35% in its second weekend, seminar. “For me, being a clown is a trick to bring love” to overseas where audiences have fonder five minutes.’” picking up $7.1 million and pushing its people in need, said Adams, who has spent the last 30 years memories of “Cliffhanger” and Jason It appears that Chan is holding out for domestic tally to $23.6 million. In art house traveling the globe, even to war zones and those areas hit by Statham is next to godliness. Millennium news, “The Trip to Italy” opened on three a bigger role or an anti-”Expendables” pic natural disaster. He said he hand-writes responses to the backed the picture. Stateside, the film screens, picking up $71,577 for a strong hundreds of letters that he receives from at least 120 coun- debuted in 3,221 theaters and attracted an with just two action stars. That’s proba- $23,859 per screen average. The film tries in his post office box in the United States. audience that was 61% male and 66% over bly best as “Expendables 3” flopped in reunites gastronomic travelers Steve the age of 25. the box office on Friday when it made its Coogan and Rob Brydon, who memorably Death of Williams franchise-worst debut. The pic is also set unveiled dueling Michael Caine impressions Despite all the clowning around there was a definite Less impulsive to be the series’ lowest-grossing open- in 2010’s “The Trip,” but substitutes pasta for something hanging over all the laughter. Adams avoided Those who saw it liked it, apparently, ing. “So if I’m in ‘Expendables 4,’ I want it British cuisine this go round. Probably a mentioning the death of his friend Williams, who played the rewarding it was an A- CinemaScore rating. to be me and him,” he said. “Then it good thing for those with a more refined role of Adams in the 1998 movie that bore his name. Williams The older crowds could bode well for the might be interesting. Otherwise you just palate, though no offense to bangers and died Monday of an apparent suicide at his home in California. picture, according to Lionsgate President of come out for five minutes.” mash aficionados. Sony Pictures Classics But on Facebook, writing from the Peruvian jungle where he Domestic Distribution Richie Fay. “Our audi- Chan also said that he’s waiting for expanded “Magic in the Moonlight” from was holding a workshop with local groups, Adams said he ence being older has a tendency to come the right scripts before agreeing to 170 to 964 screens, picking up $1.9 million was deeply saddened. “The terrible news of the passing of out at their own pace,” he argued. “They’re return to the “Rush Hour” and “Drunken Hour 4.’ Show me the script.’ I don’t want in the process. Robin Williams reached me here in the Peruvian Amazon late not driven by publicity to get out on the first Master” franchises. While talking about to do a rubbish script just because they The Woody Allen confection has now last night with tremendous sadness,” Adams wrote. weekend. They’re less impulsive. It’s going to the possibility of “Drunken Master 3,” want to make the movie.” Costar Chris made $4.7 million after four weeks in the- Williams helped make “humor therapy” known around be a profitable movie for Lionsgate, one that aters. IFC’s “Boyhood” keeps chugging along. the world with the film. “Patch Adams”, directed by Tom which he said he basically already shot Tucker said two years ago that he and continues to play.” “Expendables” sputtered with 2010’s rebooted “The Karate Kid,” he Chan were “looking into” doing a fourth The 12-years in the making indie picked up Shadyac, tells the true story of Adams when he was a med- out, but “Let’s Be Cops” did solid business. $2.1 million, bringing its total after six weeks ical student and began to use humor to treat patients. The said he won’t settle for a “rubbish script” installment. “‘Rush Hour 4,’ we’re looking The low-budget, $17 million R rated comedy for “Rush Hour 4.” “I believe after into it, me and Jackie [Chan],” Tucker said. to $13.8 million. The overall box office was comedy was nominated for an Oscar for best original sound- from Twentieth Century Fox snagged $17.7 relatively flat with the same weekend a year ‘Drunken Master 2” stop; better than we “We’re trying to get it going so we’re track and earned Williams a Golden Globe nomination as million this weekend in 3,094 locations, and ago, when “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” debuted best actor. — AFP has made $26.1 million since it premiered make no more,” he told audiences this developing something.” — Reuters and became a surprise hit. — Reuters