Mark Millar Responds To 'Kick-Ass' Opening Weekend

"Kick-Ass" might not have hit the opening weekend numbers many were predicting for director Matthew Vaughn's R-rated adaptation of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.'s ultraviolent comic book series, but the initial box-office tally isn't getting the story's creators down.

In fact, our former Guest Editor issued an official statement to MTV News, saying everyone involved with the film is "very proud" of the film's big-screen debut.

I'm just back from a weekend's break to find messages from Lionsgate, Matthew Vaughn and various actors on the movie buzzing that we were #1 in America this weekend. We were top Friday, Saturday and Sunday — which is amazing, considering we're in the middle of a holiday season and up against 3-D competition with an R-rated superhero movie.

It's also worth remembering that we only cost $28 million after the U.K. tax breaks, and our U.K. and U.S. gross alone is already at $38 million as of last night.

We're looking at a very nice profit here and word of mouth is spectacular — the reviews being among the best I've ever seen — and so we're all very proud to find ourselves in this position. Positive advance reviews had some people hoping for a $25 million domestic opening. I wanted 'Avatar' numbers myself, but as Matthew sensibly pointed out, we were made on a Tarantino budget and should be more than happy with Tarantino numbers.

This is a great place to build on, and I'm very excited to see if we stay in the #1 position next weekend. 'Sherlock Holmes' benefited by having 'Avatar' getting people into cinemas again, and I'm hoping we can do the same when 'Iron Man 2' is launched the week after next. #1 is brilliant news for all concerned, and it's amazing to see a movie at the top of the charts that was rejected by every studio when we pitched it.

The whole gang are feeling very pleased and, since most of us took deferred payments, pretty relieved, too.

- Mark Millar

So, there you have it, folks! straight from the pen of the "Kick-Ass" co-creator himself.

You know we'll be keeping an eye on the box office this week to see how things pan out, but be sure to keep it locked to Splash Page for more "Kick-Ass" news as it develops!

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