Depp's 'Alice' Bombs At Box Office, Daughter Defends Him After Abuse Allegations
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NEW YORK (CBSMiami/AP) — It's been a tough week for one of Hollywood's brightest stars.
Johnny Depp's "Alice Through the Looking Glass" bombed over the Memorial Day weekend with just $28.1 million through Sunday in North American theaters. Meanwhile, his 17-year-old daughter has defended him after the actor's wife raised allegations of domestic abuse and filed for divorce.
On Friday, as the film was hitting theaters, Amber Heard, Depp's wife, was granted a restraining order after alleging the actor previously assaulted her. She appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday with a bruise on her right cheek and said that Depp had been physically and emotionally abusive throughout "the entirety of our relationship."
Some fans called for a boycott of his film.
In an Instagram post Sunday, model/actress Lily-Rose Depp called her father "the sweetest most loving person I know." She didn't specifically reference the allegations but says Depp has "been nothing but a wonderful father to my little brother and I, and everyone who knows him would say the same." Her mother is Vanessa Paradis, Johnny Depp's former partner.
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore, said it was difficult to quantify how much the fortunes of Disney's "Alice Through the Looking Glass" turned Friday afternoon when news of Heard's allegations spread.
"I think the reviews had more to do with the film's performance than any personal drama for Depp," Dergarabedian said.
Before Heard's court appearance on Friday, Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" sequel had been expected to open above $60 million. Disney estimates that the film, which cost $170 million to produce, will gross $35.6 million over the four-day weekend.
It's a staggering fall for a sequel that returned Depp — one of Hollywood's biggest stars, albeit with a recently checkered box-office history — as the Mad Hatter. "Alice in Wonderland," featuring then-novel 3-D, made more than $1 billion worldwide in 2010 after opening with $116 million domestically.
"It's a disappointing result," said Dave Hollis, distribution chief for Disney. "We have embarked on a branded tent-pole strategy that makes big bets. But when you make big bets, there are times when you have results that are disappointing."
Hollis declined to speculate on the impact the allegations against Depp had on the film's opening.
A judge barred Depp from contacting Heard until a June 17 hearing.
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