SUNDAY AM: Good news going into the summer movie season --weekend box office was up finally, +15% compared to last year. Funny films swept the Top 3 as the obvious antidote to rising food bills, astronomical gas prices and the constant tide of bad news these days. Universal's female buddy comedy Baby Mama pairing 30 Rock's Tina Fey and SNL's Amy Poehler won Friday with an opening of $6.4 million Friday and $7 million Saturday from 2,543 theaters for what was a better-than-expected $18.2 million FSS. 
"There was nice movement towards the end of this week. Whatever they did with their TV spots worked for female audiences," a rival marketing marven told me. The PG-13 pic tracked well with women of all ages. "Unaided awareness, definite interest, and choice with women young and old is fantastic," a Uni source told me. "The hard part is tracking it against comparable movies. It's near impossible to think of a female-driven buddy comedy of the last few years." I can think of three -- The Sweetest Thing, and even Connie and Carla and High Heels and Low Lifes, all of which tanked. But those movies didn't have hot Tina Fey.
New Line's stoner guy pic Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay debuted to $5.9 million Friday and $5.1 million Saturday from 2,510 venues. It ended the weekend with $14.3 million. A sequel to a pic that didn't do even $19M in theaters during its entire release, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle didn't merit a follow-up until it had a terrific after-life in ancillary markets. Guantanamo Bay tracked well with young men, plus showed some strength with older men and younger women.
The other major newcomer, Deception, distributed by Fox as a favor to its X-Men/Wolverine/Australia star (and investment) Hugh Jackman, finished even worse than expected -- in 9th place, eking out only $760K Friday and $920K Saturday for a meager weekend total of what was $2.2M. (See my weekend predictions, 'Baby Mama' To Berth No. 1)
There worries mid-week about too many comedies in the marketplace, and fears that Baby Mama would crowd out Universal's Forgetting Sarah Marshall. But the holdover from Judd Apatow's laugh factory, finished Friday in 3rd place with $3.4M Friday and $4.5M Saturday -- minus 38% from its opening a week ago -- what turned out to be a very good $11M weekend and $35M cume. In the 4th spot Friday was The Weinstein Co/Lionsgate's The Forbidden Kingdom with Jet Li and Jackie Chan making $3.2M Friday and $4.7M Saturday -- minus 48% from its debut -- for what was a $11.2M FSS and a new cume of $38.2M.
Sony's Prom Night keeps outperforming -- #6 with $1.6M Friday and $2M Saturday for a $4.4M weekend and new cume of $38.1M, the studio's 21 finished #7 with $1.2M Friday and $1.7M Saturday for a $4M weekend and new cume of $75.7M, and Sony's third Top 10 pic 88 Minutes was #8 with a take of $1M Friday and $1.5M Saturday for a $3.6M weekend and new cume of $12.6M. Thanks to big Saturday kiddie matinees, Fox's family fare Nim's Island jumped up to #5 after earning $1.2M Friday and $2M Saturday for a $4.5M weekend and new cume of $38.9M, and that studio's other family fare, Horton Hears A Who! from Dr. Seuss., was #9 with $650K Friday and $1M Saturday for a $2.4M weekend and new cume of $147.8M.
I love that Universal couldn’t think of a female buddy film. They made one of the three you mentioned: Connie and Carla. Thanks for bringing up a film even Toni Collette might not bother to put on her resume anymore. By mid Sat afternoon East Coast time, Baby Mama should make more than Connie and Carla did in its entire U.S. release.
Comment by mike m — April 26, 2008 @ 1:35 am
Don’t forget that Baby Mama also has a just as hot (maybe hotter) Amy Poehler. Poehler has the film, the SNL cred and a well reviewed cartoon that started on Nick this weekend. I think her audience is much wider then Fey’s (considering 30 Rock is an industry hit…not a ratings one). Regardless…good for them. Both women are stars.
Between Hilary winning Pennsylvania, Danica Patrick winning a car race and now two women opening a movie…2008 is shaping up to be the year of the woman.
Comment by SMK — April 26, 2008 @ 10:06 am
Let’s say 8 million people watch 30 Rock. If half of those people went to see Baby Mama it would have the biggest comedy opening of the year. Now if just a quarter went…
Do you see where I’m going with this?
Comment by Dude — April 26, 2008 @ 11:08 am
Not to mention Amy’s husband is the great Will Arnett.
I’m more of a Sarah Silverman fan myself. Im looking forward to whenever her show returns.
Comment by Arrested Development Fan — April 26, 2008 @ 11:26 am
I can think of a couple of others: THE BANGER SISTERS and ROMY AND MICHELLE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION.
Comment by cadavra — April 26, 2008 @ 12:02 pm
Actually I would put 30 Rock’s audience under 6 million viewers or so. The only reason why the show is still on the air (though I watch it) is to appease Prince Lorne (Michaels) who controls all of late night on NBC as of 2009.
As for this weekend’s battle, not surprised Baby Mama is #1. Tina knows how to make movies and she does have her fans.
Comment by Jessy S. — April 26, 2008 @ 2:38 pm
Fey & Poehler have an appeal that can crossover to the young male demographic. Looks like they didn’t need that market to make Baby Mama work, but give them both a project opposite a Paul Rudd or a Paul Giamatti and they could open at $30 million. Use the Knocked Up format, have Amy play a character (not an SNL sketch like in Baby Mama), and it could be dynamite.
Comment by 40yearoldstitzer — April 26, 2008 @ 2:41 pm
Wot, no Drudge? Guess I must pontificate in their absence:
Once agan, the normal(as in right as in Right)mainstream America audience shows they do not put up with the pinko retoric of Hollywood “elite”.Give us some films we like.See, box office responds when its not the liberal “hate the USA” go to Cuba traitors garbage.
GOD BLESS!!!1!!
Comment by noliberalsplease — April 26, 2008 @ 5:49 pm
40yearold is on the right track. However, the next project that could be done is have Amy Poehler co-star as Wendy in a modern update of Peter Pan with Ellen Page as Peter. A Paul Rudd or Giamatti character can play Captain Hook.
Comment by Jessy S. — April 26, 2008 @ 6:54 pm
I told you so. It made my day to see Baby Mama in first place. Honestly I like Tina Fey. I loved her SNL Weekend Anchorships with Amy Pohler. Well Anyway it made my day to read this by the way. Even I like a good comedy. I wouldn’t mind seeing her 30Rock made into a movie.:)
Comment by Chuck — April 26, 2008 @ 10:33 pm
Yep, looks like Expelled got expelled from the top ten. I guess the “kool-aid” drinkers will be blaiming the “liberal media” for that too.
Comment by chrissypoo — April 27, 2008 @ 10:11 am
Looks like Universal used the same release date as Fey’s last hit, Mean Girls, back in 2004. The strategy worked. Fey knows how to get women to go the theaters. She needs to ditch 30 Rock, and continue to bang out funny and original scripts.
Comment by chris — April 27, 2008 @ 10:12 am
Also, Harold and Kumar’s strong 2nd place says to me: I have to find a stoner comedy that can be made for 10 million.
Comment by chrissypoo — April 27, 2008 @ 10:13 am
Another year of the woman. I like Fey and Poehler, but this is hardly that big a deal. Historically, and I could crunch the numbers since 2000, chick flicks are all hype and no muscle at the box office. What these movies really are, basically, is PR for the fashion mag industry, and so are most of the Sex in the City style knockoffs. How many people subscribe to these magazines, altogether? But they are a niche audience, and that’s all TV and the movies have left. And no, I am not a Republican.
Comment by jay turney — April 27, 2008 @ 11:44 am
This whole chick flick phenomena is a combination of politics and fashion magazine PR. The numbers since 2000 prove it. The real news is Sarah Marshall lost its first week to a kickboxing movie, and the second week to a stoner movie.
Comment by jay turney — April 27, 2008 @ 11:47 am
Comedies rule- I don’t know why I cannot get on but this is either obscure rules or typical LA fascism.
Comment by jay turney — April 27, 2008 @ 11:51 am
Boy, I haven’t been to the movies in a while. The stuff they are doing now on SNL is still lame compared to the early 90s though.
‘It’s CARSENIO!’
Comment by Alex — April 27, 2008 @ 8:33 pm
Is Amy Poehler a vehicle for fashion magazine PR??? Uh, sure, she looks great, but no. Maybe for Japanese children’s comic book PR.
Anyhow, what this movie really seems to be is the first Chicago Annoyance Theater/New York-LA Upright Citizens Brigade project that’s been a clear-cut commercial success, as opposed to a critics’ darling.
If Baby Mama continues to do well, maybe someone will actually distribute Martin & Orloff on the art house circuit, at least, and maybe Ian Roberts will get better parts.
Comment by a spouse — April 28, 2008 @ 9:35 am