Tracking says that Lionsgate’s The Forbidden Kingdom (an alleged ripoff due to the fact that Michael Angarano is the star, and that Jet Li and Jackie Chan are something like supporting players) will be the upcoming weekend’s #1 film with 74, 41 and 15. Look for a steep dive next weekend…over 50%.
Jon Avnet‘s 88 Minutes, believed to be the worst film of Al Pacino‘s long career, is tracking at 60, 37 and 12. How dumb do you have to be to not be aware what an absolute dog this thing is? And yet there are obviously tens of thousands who are preparing to go this weekend. Could they be the sons and daughters of those guys who made fun of Peter Falk in that Hollywood hardware store 24 or 25 years ago? I wonder how many of them plan to vote for John McCain or Hillary Clinton?
Expelled, the right-wing religious propaganda film, is tracking at 16, 24 and 4. Forget it. In and out.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall , also opening this weekend, is tracking at 62, 26 and 11. $10 to $12 million? Another Drillbit Taylor, or a comedy that may quietly catch on? The under-30 dipsticks I saw it with a few weeks ago were having a pretty good time.
Tina Fey‘s Baby Mama, opening on 4.25, is running at 56, 31 and 5. That’s a fair rating at this stage. Deception, apparently opening limited, is 45, 23 and 1 — phfft. Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo — 52, 34 and 4. Work to do, fellas!
Iron Man (Paramount, 5.2) is running at 75, 46 and 18. Really big. But it’s strictly a male thing so far. The first-choice rating for men alone is averaging around 28. Opening the same weekend is Made of Honor, the Patrick Dempsey romantic comedy. 58, 27 and 4, but among women alone it’s running 8 at first choice. Cal it an Iron Man counter-programmer.