Amidst scorn by several black activists for the portrayal of black women in “Norbit,” Oscar nominee Eddie Murphy has the last laugh with the film’s No. 1 opening at the box office this past weekend.
The comedy, which stars Murphy as three characters – including an overweight black woman that some black leaders find offensive – earned $33.7 million over the weekend to beat second place “Hannibal Rising’s” $13.35 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
In “Norbit,” Murphy plays the mild-mannered title role, his grossly overweight and overbearing wife and a Chinese orphanage owner who raised him.
“Dreamgirls,” Murphy’s other Paramount-DreamWorks release, earned $3.1 million to land at No. 9 for the weekend, lifting its total to $97.1 million.
