“Pirates” seek more treasure at box office
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Two comedies with impressive pedigrees will open at the North American box office this weekend, but they won’t come close to reigning champ “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.”
With $183.6 million banked after six days, Johnny Depp’s buccaneer sequel was just $8.4 million away from establishing a record for the best first week, beating the old mark of $192 million earned by “Spider-Man 2” in 2004. “Pirates” is likely to earn $60 million-$65 million over the weekend.
Of the rookies, Universal’s “You, Me and Dupree” should do better than Sony’s Wayans brothers effort “Little Man.”
Starring Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson and Matt Dillon, “Dupree” offers a new take on the old tale of the impossible houseguest who will not leave. Directed by brothers Anthony and Joe Russo, the PG-13 movie is likely to bow in the high-teen to low-$20 million range.
“Little Man,” directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and starring Marlon and Shawn Wayans, centers on an anxious father-to-be who mistakes an extremely short-statured, baby-faced criminal to be his newly adopted son.
The big question for the PG-13 film is whether it will expand beyond the Wayanses’ core black audience. If it does, as their “White Chicks” did in 2004, “Man” could gross in the high-teen to low-$20 million like “Chicks” did in June 2004, when it opened to $19.6 million.
Sony also will sneak its upcoming animated film “Monster House” in 702 theaters this weekend. It will go wide July 21.
In limited release, Cyan Pictures will open the bawdy comedy “The Oh in Ohio” in Los Angeles, New York, Cleveland and San Francisco. The unrated film stars Parker Posey, Paul Rudd, Mischa Barton, Danny DeVito and Liza Minnelli.
First Independent Pictures will open two films this weekend. The R-rated “Mini’s First Time,” starring Alec Baldwin, Carrie-Anne Moss, Luke Wilson and Nikki Reed, will bow on seven screens. From first-time writer-director Nick Guthe, the black comedy centers on a young girl’s attempts to get her mother declared insane.
Also from First Independent is the David Mamet-penned “Edmond” from director Stuart Gordon. Starring William H. Macy, Julia Stiles and Joe Mantegna, the R-rated film centers on a successful businessman who leaves his wife and family after a visit to a fortune teller.
“The Groomsmen,” from distributor Bauer Martinez Entertainment, will bow on three screens in Los Angeles and New York. From writer-director Edward Burns, the R-rated film brings together an ensemble cast that includes Matthew Lillard, Jay Mohr and Brittany Murphy in another Burns riff on man’s inability to grow up.
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