Beat Ben @ the Box Office: Can Adam Slay ’Em?
It’s not a good idea to mess with Adam Sandler at the box office. The most bankable comedic star on the planet is coming off a series of films that have opened huge, and You Don’t Mess With the Zohan will be no different. How big will it be? Well…
First of all, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry banked a $34 million opening, and Click did $40 million. His only major comedic release (we’re not counting Reign Over Me and Spanglish, here) to not break $30 million in the opening frame was Little Nicky, back in 2000.
But this is a very crowded weekend, with both Sex and the City and Indiana Jones likely to do more than $20 million each. Narnia, Iron Man and The Strangers are all still holding well, and let’s not forget Kung Fu Panda, which opens this weekend and will most likely take the top spot.
Still, look for Zohan to pull in a healthy $35.5 million.
Sandler’s got the midas touch, but what do you think? Has Adam lost it? Put your numbers up in the comments and we’ll find out Monday morning if it was smart of you to mess with The Lyons.
Kevin James Welcomes a Baby Daughter
King of Queens star Kevin James has welcomed a daughter, his rep confirms.
Shea Joelle was born on June 14, in Los Angeles and is the second child for James, 42, and his wife, model Steffiana De la Cruz, 32. Their first daughter, Sienna, was born in September 2005.
“I just love being a dad,” James told PEOPLE in March, “and spending time with my wife and child, and now we’re having another girl. It’s incredible.”
James, who stars in the upcoming film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and De La Cruz were married in June 2004.
Movie Attendance Falls in the Summer of Threequels
AP, attendance is running behind last summer’s and has even fallen below that of the summer of 2005. According to Media By Numbers, 279 million tickets had been sold thus far compared with 315 million at this same point in 2002. But this is not what was supposed to happen. Industry analysts predicted the first $4 billion summer in history, but we’re at the midway point and it’s not looking probable. As of this past weekend, Hollywood has made $1.9 billion since the first weekend in May. And $945 million of that number comes from just three movies (Pirates 3, Spider-Man 3, and Shrek the Third).
And there are a few biggies waiting in the bull pen: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Bourne Ultimatum, Rush Hour 3, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, The Simpsons Movie and Hairspray. But as you might notice, most of them are medium sized majors, not on the same level with a Spider-Man 3. Potter is likely to make $300 million domestically, but the rest probably won’t come close.
May-be the problem is that none of the huge releases really connected with the audiences. Most of the films resulted with bad reviews and bad word of mouth. And the good flicks (Ratatouille, Once, Sicko) got buried in the mix.
Danny Boyle’s Sunshine Gets Summer 2007 Release
We’ve often wondered about Danny Boyle’s Sunshine. Filming wrapped in Fall of 2005. Post production took over a year, pushing back the original October 13h 2006 release date to March 2007, and then pushed back again till September 2007 in the States. Other areas of the world have already seen it (which makes me wonder why we’ve drawn the short straw). But today I have Good News! I just received word from Fox Searchlight that the film has been pushed up for a Summer release. Sunshine will now hit theaters on July 20th 2007. And even better, it will be a WIDE release. None of this platform art-house expansion stuff. Seems like the studio has faith in the film. The film will now go head to head with New Line’s Hairspray and the Adam Sandler/Kevin James gay marriage comedy I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. And it seems to me that all three of those films are vying for different audiences, so Sunshine might actually have a chance.