CODE NAME: THE CLEANER

Code Name: The Cleaner

FilmEngine financed this $20 million dud staring Cedric The Entertainer and Code Name: The Cleaner was a negative pickup for New Line. Box office expectations were minimal, as The Cleaner was one of three movies opening (Freedom Writers, Happily N’Ever After) the first weekend in January in a prime release date dumping ground, when holdover holiday fare were still playing strong and award hopefuls were expanding. Code Name: The Cleaner managed to open below its low expectations with a dismal $4,244,142 — placing outside the top 10 at #12 when Night at the Museum and The Pursuit of Happyness led the weekend. The film fell 61.2% second weekend to $1,648,524 and promptly lost most of its theater count. It was out of theaters after only four weeks with just $8,135,024. New Line would see back about $4.4 million after theaters take their percentage of the gross, which doesn’t cover much of their modest P&A spend. This would mark the last staring vehicle for Cedric The Entertainer. Overseas, the film was released in a handful of territories to a small $2.2 million across multiple distributors and went straight to video or TV in most markets. Director Les Mayfield previously directed the New Line flop The Man and has not landed another gig after The Cleaner.