Las Vegas Weekly

July 1, 2009 · 7 AM

The Hangover becomes top Las Vegas-based film of all time

By Robin Leach

Three men and a baby: Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms in The Hangover.

Photo: Warner Bros.

After just four weeks, the summer comedy hit The Hangover, filmed at Caesars Palace and other Las Vegas locations, has assumed the No. 1 spot on the box office list of films that are primarily set in or themed around Sin City.

This past week, The Hangover, at nearly $186 million, overtook 2001’s Ocean’s Eleven, at $183 million. The rest of the Top 15: Ocean’s Thirteen, $117 million; 21, $81 million; What Happens in Vegas, $80 million; Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Dangerous, $48 million; Casino, $43 million; Vegas Vacation, $36 million; Honeymoon in Vegas, $35 million; Leaving Las Vegas, $32 million; Fools Rush In, $29 million; Showgirls, $20 million; Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, $11 million; The Cooler, $8 million; and Lucky You, $6 million.

The Hangover, about a bachelor party weekend in Las Vegas gone awry, stars Justin Bartha, Ed Helms, Heather Graham, Zach Galifianakis and Bradley Cooper, whose career is as hot as our desert right now with his 2009 ShoWest Comedy Star of the Year Award and his selection as one of Summer’s Hottest Bachelors by People magazine.

The lifetime gross of the Top 15 Las Vegas-based movies is $916,833,771, and The Hangover will continue to add to that total. With less than $85 million from the $1 billion mark, Las Vegas is certainly a great place to make movies!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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