April 25, 2008

New Movies and Box Office Predictions: Baby Mama, Deception, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

The final frame of the Spring cinematic season. Yes, Spring is not over, but when it comes to movies, May means summer titles. It used to be Memorial Day, but each year it seems to be coming earlier and earlier, pretty soon summer will begin in April! This last hurrah for April brings a pair of comedies and a thriller, each vying for your dollar. Which will win? Read on to see what is coming your way!

Baby Mama. (2008, 96 minutes, PG-13, comedy, trailer) Could this be a take on The Odd Couple? It sort of looks like it, with a couple of added wrinkles. Tina Fey stars as an executive who decides it is time to have a child, but cannot become pregnant. In an effort to get the desired result, she turns to a surrogate, played by Amy Poehler. Shortly after, Poehler arrives needing a place to live, so you get a battle of opposite personalities. Baby Mama has the potential to either be really funny, or really bad. I am hoping that it is funny, I like the cast and I like what I have seen in the trailers. Michael McCullers serves as both writer and director, his past work includes the Austin Powers sequels, Thunderbirds, and Undercover Brother.

Deception. (2008, 108 minutes, R, thriller, trailer) This has potential of being very interesting. While I am intrigued by the trailer, it is not an easy intrigue. I am somehow reminded of Perfect Stranger, and we all remember how good that was. It concerns an executive played by Ewan McGregor who is introduced to a sex club by a mysterious friend, Hugh Jackman. All goes well until a woman disappears and millions of dollars are stolen, leaving Ewan the lone suspect. I really hope it turns out well, we could use a good mystery. The cast also includes Michelle Williams, Maggie Q, and Natasha Henstridge. Marcel Langenegger sits in the director's chair for the first time working from a script by Mark Bomback (Live Free or Die Hard, Godsend).

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. (2008, 102 minutes, R, comedy, trailer) The original adventure of Harold and Kumar (John Cho and Kal Penn) proved to be surprisingly good, funny, and memorable (particularly Neil Patrick Harris!). Will lightning strike twice? One would hope. I have not seen much of Cho, but I have always liked Penn and think he has potential to be more than what he has shown thus far. This movie has the duo jetting off for Amsterdam, being misidentified as terrorists, and thrown into Guantanamo, which they promptly escape. The cast also includes Roger Bart, Neil Patrick Harris, Rob Corddry, and Daneel Harris. Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg return from the original to write and direct.

Also opening this week, but not near me:
  • Deal
  • A Plumm Summer
  • Rogue
  • Standard Operating Procedure
  • Tashan
  • Then She Found Me

Box Office Predictions
This weekend will be ruled by comedy. Baby Mama should easily take the top spot in what is sure to be a week frame. Harold & Kumar could be bigger than expected, but it will probably finish second with a decent gross, based off the fans of the first one and the success it had on DVD. I think the biggest question among the new films is if people will go to Deception. The advertising seems to be a bit light and started late, at least I did not see anything until very recently. Whatever the case, I'll be there to check them out!

Here is how I think the top ten field will play out:

RankTitleBox Office
1Baby Mama$17 million
2Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay$15.5 million
3The Forbidden Kingdom$11 million
4Forgetting Sarah Marshall$10 million
5Deception$6.5 million
6Prom Night$4.5 million
7Nim's Island$3.5 million
888 Minutes$3 million
921$3 million
10Horton Hears a Who!$2.5 million

2 comments:

KHodges said...

We cant trust you?!?! Baby Mama looks awful!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Chris said...

You can trust me to have an opinion!

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