Surprise, surprise! ‘MacGruber’ flops

Does it surprise anyone - anyone? - that “MacGruber” did little better than zilch at the box office on Friday? “Saturday Night Live” has spawned some lame skits over the years, but the MacGruber one, which is an unfunny take on the old Richard Dean Anderson “MacGyver” series, is particularly bad.

The conceit: MacGruber (played by the talented Will Forte) is a MacGyver type, that is someone who can use his basic knowledge of science to get out of dangerous situations. But, similar to many other SNL takeoffs, MacGruber is a clueless dimwit. His arrogant machinations always end up failing.

That’s the basis for a feature film? Hadn’t the SNL team learned anything from the likes of “It’s Pat,” “The Coneheads,” “Stuart Saves His Family” and “Superstar”? Apparently not.

Anyway, “MacGruber” made barely $1.6 million on Friday. That’s while playing at some 2,551 theaters. Hard not to ask, what were they thinking?

Below : The trailer for “MacGruber.”