“Momma” set to open big
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Martin Lawrence is expected to lead the weekend box office with his comedy sequel “Big Momma’s House 2,” one of four films opening Friday.
Horror fans should keep incumbent champ “Underworld: Evolution” in the mix. After opening at No. 1 last weekend with a sterling $26.9 million, the creature-filled R-rated sequel should cast a shadow among the top rankings.
Industry observers expect “Big Momma’s House 2” to open slightly lower than the original film’s $25.7 million bow in 2000 because it’s a sequel and the first picture debuted in the heat of summer.
Lawrence reprises his role as master-of-disguise FBI agent Malcolm Turner, and Nia Long returns as the love interest. This time, Big Momma takes a turn as a nanny as Turner attempts to find his ex-partner’s killer. But while undercover, he starts to grow attached to the prime suspect’s three children. John Whitesell (“Malibu’s Most Wanted”) directed the sequel.
Universal Pictures’ “Nanny McPhee,” aimed at the family audience, will find its primary competition coming from the Weinstein Co.’s animated “Hoodwinked.” Emma Thompson stars opposite Colin Firth and Kelly MacDonald in “McPhee,” which has grossed about $34 million internationally, with $29 million coming from the U.K. The film was adapted from Christianna Brand’s book series, which follows a magical nanny who tames the seven naughtiest children in the history of the world.
Disney’s “Annapolis,” referred to as a younger person’s “An Officer and a Gentleman,” appeals mostly to men but has been tracking well with female teens, James Franco stars as a young man from the wrong side of the tracks who gains admission to the prestigious U.S. Naval Academy.
The Weinstein Co.’s “The Matador” expands to 885 theaters Friday, up from the previous session’s 66 sites. The
The comedy-drama, starring Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear, has generated $1.5 million from its limited-release run. Richard Shepard wrote and directed.
Magnolia Pictures’ small-town murder mystery “Bubble” is the first of six films that will be released in near-simultaneous day-and-date on cable TV and DVD. The distributor will debut “Bubble” in 32 locations, about 60% of which are Landmark Theatres, the exhibition chain co-owned by billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner. Cuban and Wagner’s 2929 Entertainment produced the film, which Steven Soderbergh directed.
“Bubble” will run twice tonight on HDNet Movies, the high-definition cable network co-founded by Cuban and Philip Garvin, and will be available Tuesday in video stores.
Disney’s “Roving Mars,” a large-format Imax release from Walt Disney Pictures, debuts in 27 theaters. The G-rated picture documents NASA’s Mars rovers and their voyage to explore the Red Planet.
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