Weekend Movies: Four Films to Split Box Office
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Hollywood’s major studios released four films nationwide on Friday, hoping to grab a slice of the box office pie ahead of next week’s widely anticipated release, “The Passion of the Christ.”
The movies vary widely from mainstream fare in “Welcome to Mooseport,” featuring TV star Ray Romano, to college-age comedy “Eurotrip,” teen flick “Confessions of a Drama Queen” and boxing drama “Against the Ropes” with Meg Ryan.
Because they are aimed at different audiences, the four will likely splinter the box office take from moviegoers looking for new films. As a result, the four will find it hard to compete with reigning box office champ, “50 First Dates,” because even if its sales drop an acceptable 40 to 50 percent from last week’s three-day total of $40 million, “Dates” would ring up $20 million or more — a hefty weekend sum in February.
Still, it is the business of movie studios have to crank out new films, and none in this weekend’s mix are budget-busters with big time special effects, elaborate settings or a cast that is full of expensive stars.
Twentieth Century Fox’s “Welcome to Mooseport” is the widest new release in just under 2900 theaters, and seeks to take advantage of election year politics with a story of a former U.S. president (Gene Hackman) who runs for mayor of the small town of Mooseport, Maine.
His campaign heats up when local handyman and all-around good guy, Handy Harrison (Romano), runs against him. The race get even stickier when Handy’s girlfriend (Maura Tierney) fakes a crush on the ex-president to coax Handy into proposing. The movie is rated PG-13 for brief sexual comments and nudity.
LONG, STRANGE TRIPS
DreamWorks SKG rolls out “Eurotrip” and Walt Disney Pictures ushers in “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen,” both in around 2500 theaters.
“Eurotrip” comes from the same producing team as 2000’s “Road Trip” and 2003’s “Old School,” both hits with college kids thinking about sex, drinking, sex, and more drinking.
The main cast is relatively unknown except for Michelle Trachtenberg, star of TV’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” She plays one-half of a pair of twins on a trek to Berlin with two guy friends led by Scotty.
After a long e-mail relationship with a German girl named Mieke, Scotty thinks he may be in love and must find out for sure. He and his friends head for Berlin, taking audiences for a romp through London, Paris and Amsterdam. “Eurotrip” is rated R for sexuality, nudity, language, drug and alcohol content.
“Drama Queen” features 17-year-old Lindsay Lohan, who has starred in two previous Disney movies, 1998’s “The Parent Trap” and last year’s surprise summer hit “Freaky Friday.”
In “Drama Queen,” Lohan plays 15-year-old Lola whose mom uproots her from their fashionable Manhattan apartment and moves them to the stodgy suburbs of New Jersey.
Lola clashes with the most popular girl in high school, Carla, which is a big problem because Carla’s dad is the lawyer for the rock band Sidarthur.
Lola and her best friend Ella idolize Sidarthur, and the movie follows their antics as they rival Carla to see who can get into the after-party for a Sidarthur concert. The movie is rated PG for mild thematic elements and brief language.
Paramount Pictures’ “Against the Ropes” debuts in 1600 theaters, and is based on the true story of Jackie Kallen (Meg Ryan), who overcomes sexism in professional boxing to become a successful manager of fighters. It is rated PG-13 for crude language, violence, brief sensuality and some drug material.
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