Quickly Entertainment News

July Fourth went off like a dud at the box office, as the Michael Bay sequel ‘‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’’ and the Melissa McCarthy comedy ‘‘Tammy’’ led the weakest summer holiday weekend in at least a decade. The North American box office was down a striking 44 percent over the July Fourth weekend last year, when ‘‘Despicable Me 2’’ and ‘‘The Lone Ranger’’ opened. ‘‘Transformers’’ led all films with an estimated $36.4 million, while ‘‘Tammy’’ had a below expectations Friday-to-Sunday haul of $21.2 million. Paramount’s ‘‘Transformers,’’ the fourth in the series, opened the previous weekend with the year’s biggest debut with $100 million. The movie, with a rebooted cast led by Mark Wahlberg, dropped considerably (63 percent) in its second week of release despite relatively little competition. New Line’s R-rated, Midwest road trip romp, ‘‘Tammy,’’ boasts one of the most bankable stars in movies — McCarthy — but is a smaller, homespun movie made for just $20 million and directed by McCarthy’s husband, Ben Falcone. Despite being savaged by critics, the Warner Bros. release made $32.9 million in five days since opening Wednesday. The only other new wide release was the horror flick ‘‘Deliver Us From Evil,’’ which had no blockbuster ambitions. The Sony Screen Gems release, starring Eric Bana, opened in third with $9.5 million. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday. (AP)

Paul McCartney returned to a concert stage Saturday after being sidelined for two months because of a virus, spinning out songs from the Beatles, Wings, and a solo career that has spanned more than 50 years of rock ’n’ roll. ‘‘It’s great to be back,’’ said McCartney, who turned 72 two weeks ago. He looked none the worse for wear, putting on a show of just under three hours with 38 songs before finishing with the three-song medley that ends the ‘‘Abbey Road’’ album. McCartney (inset) was briefly hospitalized in Tokyo in May because of the viral infection. The illness forced him to cancel a Japanese tour and a concert in South Korea and reschedule half a dozen June dates in the United States before resuming his ‘‘Out There’’ tour in Albany, N.Y. Before his illness, McCartney last performed May 1 in Costa Rica. McCartney opened with the Beatles’ ‘‘Eight Days a Week.’’ He wore black jeans and a sky-blue blazer. When he took the jacket off four songs in, he joked that it was the only wardrobe change of the evening. (AP)

Former ‘‘Scandal’’ actor Columbus Short has been arrested in Dallas for public intoxication. Dallas police said Short, 31, was arrested at 2 a.m. Saturday at the Katy Trail Ice House, a popular beer garden and restaurant. A message left at the restaurant on Saturday was not immediately returned. It is not the first time Short has had trouble with the law. In May, he pleaded not guilty to felony battery for a fight that seriously injured a man at a West Hollywood restaurant. And he faced a misdemeanor spousal battery case. Short announced in April that he wasn’t returning to the ABC hit drama series ‘‘Scandal’’ for its fourth season. The actor’s agent, manager, and lawyer did not immediately respond to messages Saturday. (AP)

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