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Source:
Box Office Guru
Posted on: Mon, Apr 28, 2008 07:08:27
Written By: Michael Dance
MichaelDance@TheCinemaSource.com
Two comedies led the top ten with good numbers this weekend. Baby Mama was the clear winner with an estimated $18.3 million while Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, with $14.6 million, scored a victory of its own by strongly surpassing its predecessor, which opened to just $5.5 million in 2004. The rest of the top ten was same-old, same-old, with the exception of the under-advertised Deception which managed to grab the 10th spot with only $2.2 million. The top ten estimates, in millions:
Baby Mama's success can be considered a victory, especially for a female-driven comedy. While the film earned mostly good reviews, neither Tina Fey nor Amy Poehler have proven themselves at the box office - and Fey's own 30 Rock isn't exactly a ratings juggernaut on NBC - so the opening was expected to be a bit softer. Ditto for Harold and Kumar; while the first movie was a flop in theaters, four years of DVD sales have helped boost the profile of the franchise.
Last week's champs The Forbidden Kingdom and Forgetting Sarah Marshall both followed in 3rd and 4th place, respectively, although their numbers were much closer this week. The former fell 48% to $11.2 million while the latter dropped only 38% to $11.0 million. Still, Sarah Marshall hasn't been nearly as strong as last summer's R-rated comedies from the Apatow camp.
The third of last week's newcomers, 88 Minutes, dropped 48% from its already weak bow and looks to finish with a crappy $15 million. Faring worse was this weekend's third release, Deception which was unceremoniously dumped into theaters with barely any advertising and few critics screenings. It also boasts about the least memorable title on Earth; the working title was The Tourist. Perhaps they're hoping it'll sell better on DVD.
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