Fans say 'I do' to Sandler comedy

By Josh Friedman

July 23, 2007 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

Moviegoers were in gay spirits over the weekend as Adam Sandler’s latest comedy, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” topped the box office, and the feel-good “Hairspray” scored a record launch for a musical.

Though both films were aimed at general audiences, the gay market factored into their solid openings.

“Chuck and Larry” stars Sandler and Kevin James as Brooklyn firefighters pretending to be gay for insurance purposes. Universal Pictures and the filmmakers worked closely with gay groups to try to avoid any missteps with that audience.

The film opened to an estimated $34.8 million in the U.S. and Canada, giving Sandler his ninth No. 1 launch and displacing Warner Bros.’ “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” which fell to $32.2 million in its second weekend.

“We’re thrilled to be headed for at least $100 million,” said Nikki Rocco, president of domestic distribution at Universal.

New Line Cinema’s “Hairspray,” the story of a chubby teenager who fights for racial integration on a 1960s TV dance show, has no gay theme, but the project has wide appeal in the gay community.

Based on both the 1988 camp classic directed by gay icon John Waters and the more recent Broadway musical, “Hairspray” opened to $27.8 million -- a surprisingly strong No. 3 for the weekend.

“Chicago” and “Dreamgirls” both ended up grossing more than $100 million domestically in recent years, but they were rolled out more gradually, starting in a small number of theaters.

New Line had expected an opening “in the low 20s,” said David Tuckerman, the studio’s president of domestic distribution.

Although “Chuck and Larry” met industry expectations, it opened at the lower end of the $35-million-to-$45-million range that has made Sandler one of Hollywood’s most reliable comedy stars.

Sandler and James play straight pals who, because of convoluted civic red tape, must fake a domestic partnership in order for the widowed James to designate his two children as his life insurance beneficiaries.

The gay subject matter may have turned off filmgoers “at the outer edges” of Sandler’s fan base, one Universal executive acknowledged.

But it was tougher competition at the multiplex this summer, Rocco said, that most likely kept the movie below Sandler’s biggest hits, such as “The Longest Yard” and “Anger Management.”

Universal screened an early version of the film for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and took the group’s suggestions “very seriously,” said Adam Fogelson, president of marketing at the studio.

Despite some stereotypes and slurs, the film conveys a strong message about “family, marriage equality, and about treating others -- gay or straight -- with dignity and respect,” said Damon Romine, GLAAD’s media director.

“Hairspray,” whose cast includes John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer and Nikki Blonsky, also preaches acceptance.

The film, which got higher audience survey scores and far better reviews than “Chuck and Larry,” could have one of this summer’s rare commodities: box-office legs.

“There’s nothing like it in the marketplace, and it works with just about every audience,” said Howard Bragman, a longtime Hollywood publicist and gay activist. “Even my parents would like it.”

While the film was promoted in gay magazines and on the gay-themed Logo cable TV channel, he said, marketers reached general audiences partly by tapping into the nation’s dance craze.

Director Adam Shankman, for example, recently served as a guest judge on the Fox reality show “So You Think You Can Dance.”

How much the gay audience added to the film’s success was unclear because studios don’t survey for sexual orientation.

The “Hairspray” audience was estimated at 68% female and 64% older than 25, New Line said.

One gay publication, the Washington Blade, had called for a boycott of the film over Travolta’s Scientology affiliation, but activists said that appeal gained little or no traction.

Gay fans were clearly a factor in the film’s success, Bragman said.

“You don’t do a musical without a gay audience. Hello?” he said. “We own that genre. We created that genre. It’s ours.”

josh.friedman@latimes.com

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Fans show their love

Adam Sandler notched his ninth No. 1 opening with the comedy “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” although it launched at the weaker end of his usual $35-million-to-$45-million range.

The latest “Harry Potter” movie -- “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” -- dropped 58% in its second weekend, on par with other blockbusters this summer.

“Hairspray,” with John Travolta, scored the biggest opening ever for a musical, outperforming expectations.

Industrywide revenue is up 4.4% year to date, thanks mostly to higher ticket prices.

Preliminary results (in millions) in the U.S. and Canada, based on studio projections:

*--* Movie 3-day Total Weeks (Studio) Gross (Millions) (Mills.)

1 I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry $34.8 $34.8 1 (Universal)

2 Harry Potter and the Order of the 32.2 207.5 2 Phoenix (Warner Bros.)

3 Hairspray (New Line) 27.8 27.8 1

4 Transformers (Paramount) 20.5 263.0 3

5 Ratatouille (Disney) 11.0 165.6 4

6 Live Free or Die Hard (20th Century 7.3 116.5 4 Fox)

7 License to Wed (Warner Bros.) 3.8 38.7 3

8 1408 (Weinstein/MGM) 2.6 67.5 5