The People of Cleveland Are Really Into LeBron James as an Actor

They really turned out for his new movie.

By Seija Rankin Jul 20, 2015 6:59 PMTags
LeBron James, Bill Hader, TrainwreckUniversal Pictures

Let it be said here: Cleveland is into LeBron James.

And sure, why shouldn't they be? He's only, like, the best athlete in the city's history. He basically put the Cavaliers on the map...both times around. Even when he totally burned them by jumping ship to Miami, and then jumping ship back to Cleveland, they couldn't help but love him.

Even during this year's NBA finals when the basketball star played so poorly that he was outshined by a two-year-old girl, the city was there for him. They love him (and all the many millions he brings to the city), so it was only a matter of time before they paid him back. (And yes, we mean besides those eight-figure contracts.) 

And just how did they do that? By turning out for his new movie, Trainwreck.

The flick hit theaters this weekend and did even better than expected, pulling in over $30 million. Not surprisingly, Amy Schumer and her comedy gang saw the most success in New York and Los Angeles, cities where the writer has already become basically a household name. But the real surprise of the numbers game was the movie's performance in Cleveland.

According to early box office numbers, Trainwreck over-performed in LeBron's home city to the tune of 66 percent! We're no mathematicians, but that's a big deal. It seems that even if movie fans in Midwestern cities weren't as obsessed with Schumer and the likes of Bill Hader as other areas, they wanted to get in on LeBron's big screen debut. The athletes-as-actors phenomenon can sometimes cause a bit of a backlash, but Cavaliers fans are all about the positive. James even managed to bring out the viewers in Florida, which if you'll recall, he spent a bit of time playing on another famous basketball team.

We guess that means it might be time for the basketball star to take on another big screen adventure. After all, the whole national championship thing isn't exactly panning out like he thought. 

Just something to consider, LeBron. 

Watch: Amy Schumer Was Surprised to Star in "Trainwreck"