‘Charlie’ holds top spot despite touted ‘Island’

Maybe summer isn’t the action season after all.

Despite a ubiquitous ad campaign and a reported $100 million budget, Michael Bay’s “The Island” opened with a disappointing $12.4 million over the weekend, finishing in fourth place.

And after a two-week rally following the longest slump in Hollywood history, the overall box office was down 10 percent from the same weekend last year.

Johnny Depp’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” held the top spot for the second weekend, bringing in $28.3 million for a total of $114.1 million. Two other holdovers followed: “The Wedding Crashers,” with $25.7 million, and “Fantastic Four” with $12.6 million.

Among the weekend’s other new releases, “The Bad News Bears” opened at No. 5 with $11.4 million, “Hustle & Flow” was No. 7 with $8 million, and “The Devil’s Rejects” premiered at No. 8 with $7.1 million.

“The Island” is the latest in a string of action-adventure films to struggle.

Though action films sporting big stars – such as Tom Cruise’s “War of the Worlds,” and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” – have found audiences, big-budget movies selling themselves on spectacle have flopped.

In April, the $87 million “XXX: State of the Union” managed only $26.1 million, and the $130 million “Sahara” took in $68.5 million.

“Action movies just trying to sell themselves for their action aren’t doing business,” says Robert Bucksbaum of the industry-tracking firm Reelsource.

While action films that are marketed to niche audiences, such as comic book fans, have flourished, he said, “The studios that are going for broke, trying to sell that summer action film that appeals to everyone, are coming up empty.”