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Costly comedy set for "Almighty" box office debut
2007-06-22
Will moviegoers flood the multiplex for the new comedy "Evan Almighty," opening this weekend, or will the modern-day take on the Noah's ark tale face a box office drought? That's the question confronting Hollywood as it steers toward midsummer waters. Universal Pictures' pricey "Evan" -- the studio has pegged its budget at $175 million -- is destined to take the top spot from 20th Century Fox's "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," which opened last weekend to $58.1 million. But industry experts expect "Evan" will open in the mid-$30 million range, possibly breaking $40 million. Although the spotlight will shine on "Evan," several other titles also will get their feet wet. "1408," a high-end horror tale starring John Cusack, looks as if it will trigger more excitement than the recent spate of hard-R horror outings, while the Angelina Jolie vehicle "A Mighty Heart" attempts to counter the summer fluff by appealing to more serious-minded moviegoers. In addition, documentary filmmaker Michael Moore's "Sicko" opens in one theater in New York before going wide next weekend. Technically, "Evan" is a sequel to 2003's "Bruce Almighty," in which Jim Carrey struck a bargain with God (the sly Morgan Freeman). That movie opened to a four-day Memorial Day weekend haul of $85.7 million; its three-day figure was $70 million. Like "Bruce," "Evan" is directed by Tom Shadyac and written by Steve Oedekerk, a co-writer on the original, but it actually is making its entrance more as a spinoff than a sequel. In place of Carrey, the new movie stars "The Office's" Steve Carell, who had a supporting role in the first film as a newscaster who is reduced to a blathering idiot. In the new film, he has been elected congressman and has moved his family to Virginia, when Freeman's God comes calling with a warning of severe weather ahead. The first film was rated PG-13, but the latest outing has secured a PG rating in hopes of attracting the family crowd with its zoolike array of animals. And because the film also pays homage to the story of Noah, Universal has been courting Christian audiences in hopes of igniting a faith-based hit. For moviegoers looking for darker amusements, "1408" (Weinstein/MGM) offers up a spooky PG-13 adaptation of a Stephen King short story. Directed by Mikael Hafstrom ("Derailed"), the movie stars Cusack as a skeptic who investigates a mysterious room at a New York hotel where suicides have taken place. While recent gorefests like "Hostel: Part II" have stiffed, "1408" is earning genuinely enthusiastic reviews. Cusack, though no superstar, has proven himself a reliable leading man. "1408" is shaping up as a solid performer in the midteen-millions range. Michael Winterbottom's "Mighty Heart" (Paramount Vantage) isn't looking to take the weekend but instead to settle in for the long run as a drama that can hold its own against more lightweight summer entertainments. The film, which debuted at Cannes in May, stars Jolie as journalist Mariane Pearl, whose husband, Daniel, was abducted and eventually killed by Pakistani militants. The film, shot on many of the locations in Pakistan where the real-life story unfolded, should establish itself in the $5 million-$10 million range. Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
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