Show 1 Semi Pro struggles to score Josh Friedman Los Angeles Times The gloomiest week in New Line Cinemas Cinema's 40 year history ended with a clunk as the Will Ferrell basketball comedy SemiPro SemiPro SemiPro Semi Pro opened to an estimated million well below office box-office expectations In a hollow victory Semi Pro produced for 57 million ranked No 1 for the weekend followed by Sony Pictures' Pictures holdover thriller Vantage Point which took in 13 million and Paramount Pictures' Pictures family fantasy The Chronicles at 88 million Executives at New Line which learned late last week that the studio would be merged in into o corporate sibling Warner Warner Bros by parent Time Warner Inc in a saving cost-saving move declined to comment Sunday on the office box-office results Be Befit Bek t known for the blockbuster The Lord of the Rings series New Line will continue as a production label but is expected to tomake tomake tomake make fewer and cheaper cheper movies movies Hundreds of jobs are likely to be eliminated in the transition Despite extensive marketing from New Line and Ferrell himself SemiPro SemiPro SemiPro Semi Pro opened well below the stars star's other recent sports comedies Talladega Nights The Ballad of Ricky Bobby started at 47 million and Blades of Glory opened with 33 million Those two were rated PG 13 while the raunchy Semi Pro had a restrictive R rating ting that kept young moviegoers away But even Old School one of Ferrell's few other rated R-rated comedies opened better laughing launching to o million millio in 2003 J V jl 1 |