Despite critics, ‘Fool’s’ may be golden
“Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey light up the big screen in the first great romantic comedy of the year,” gushed Heather Newgen of ComingSoon.net.
Mark Seman of Sirius satellite radio declared, “The adventure comedy is back!”
When last weekend’s newspaper ads for “Fool’s Gold” quoted kudos from these and other obscure reviewers, discerning moviegoers could tell this wasn’t going to be a critics’ darling.
Warner Bros., which describes the film as “Romancing the Stone” meets “National Treasure,” isn’t sweating it any more than a shirtless McConaughey.
The studio, which financed the $65-million production with longtime partner Village Roadshow, believes it has a formula for commercial success: sexy stars reunited for the first time since 2003’s hit “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” an ideal release date leading up to Valentine’s Day and the Presidents Day holiday, and enough action to lure boyfriends and husbands into theaters.
“It’s fluffy fun,” said Dan Fellman, Warner’s president of domestic distribution. “He’s crashing planes. The bad guys are blowing things up. There is something for everybody.”
“Fool’s Gold” would seem like an ideal date movie for adults, although it won’t be helped by the harsh reviews from major critics. RottenTomatoes.com said only 7% of total notices were positive.
Most box-office analysts expect the PG-13-rated movie, opening today at 3,125 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, to top the weekend charts with ticket sales of $20 million or more. “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” opened to $23.8 million on almost the identical date five years ago.
Consumer tracking surveys, however, point to a three-sided coin toss that also includes the new Martin Lawrence comedy “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins” from Universal Pictures and the defending champ, Walt Disney Co.’s shrewdly marketed 3-D holdover “Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour.”
If the two newcomers open reasonably well and the premium-priced “Hannah Montana” hangs tough after its $31.1-million Super Bowl weekend, the overall box-office trend could remain well ahead of 2007’s pace despite a shaky economy.
“Roscoe Jenkins,” co-starring James Earl Jones and Cedric the Entertainer, has drawn keen interest within the African American community, so it could win the weekend even without much “crossover” business from white patrons.
The PG-13 movie, produced for $35 million, has earned mixed-to-positive reviews and, according to Universal, played to enthusiastic crowds at research screenings. The studio said consumers were responding well to an ad campaign stressing the movie’s physical humor.
Lawrence could pull in a fairly diverse audience, including Latinos and whites, thanks to his comedy hits such as “Big Momma’s House” and the aging-biker romp “Wild Hogs.”
“There’s a sense we can get good crossover business,” said Adam Fogelson, the studio’s marketing president.
The movie opens at only 2,385 theaters, so it might best “Fool’s Gold” on a revenue-per-location basis without reaching the highest gross.
Thursday’s tracking pointed to an opening of $14 million to $17 million, but ethnic comedies such as “First Sunday” and the Tyler Perry films have often fared better than surveys indicated.
“Hannah Montana,” which was sold for two months as a concert-style, one-week-only event, could remain atop the charts if the perky ‘tween idol can bring in repeat customers.
Privately, executives at rival studios grouse that Disney planned all along to extend the run by at least a week -- but acknowledge that the mouse house kept young females in suspense by waiting until Sunday to make it official.
A steep drop might be expected after a big opening fueled by pent-up demand and heavy advance ticket sales, yet the movie stayed No. 1 throughout the week, indicating strong word of mouth.
A week of giddy schoolyard buzz must be, as they say in the credit card commercials, priceless.
Another concert movie opens nationwide, with an even lengthier title but much lower expectations.
Picturehouse is launching “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights -- Hollywood to the Heartland” at 962 theaters, hoping for an opening of as much as $3 million. The R-rated movie, aimed at the college crowd, was produced for about $5 million.
Limited releases include the Sundance festival favorite “In Bruges,” from playwright-turned-filmmaker Martin McDonagh, which Universal’s Focus Features division is launching in 28 theaters.
Focus thinks the twisted comic thriller, starring Colin Farrell as a hit man on the run in the ancient Belgian city, can click with hipsters now that “No Country for Old Men,” “There Will Be Blood” and other highbrow titles are so last year.
--
--
Begin text of infobox
Weekend Forecast
Two new comedies, “Fool’s Gold” and “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins,” will vie with the musical 3-D hit “Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus” for No. 1 at the box office. Along with the films listed below, other contenders to make the top 10 include “There Will Be Blood,” “Untraceable” and “Cloverfield.” These figures are Times predictions only. Studios will release weekend box office estimates Sunday and final totals Monday.
*--* Movie 3-day forecast (millions) Through the weekend Weeks (studio) 1 Fool’s $19.0 $19.0 1 Gold (Warner Bros.) 2 Welcome 18.5 18.5 1 Home Roscoe Jenkins (Universal ) 3 Hannah 16.5 59.7 2 Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour (Disney) 4 The Eye 6.5 21.7 2 (Lions Gate) 5 27 Dresses 5.5 65.3 4 (20th Century Fox) 6 Juno (Fox 4.5 116.5 10 Searchligh t) 7 The Bucket 4.5 74.3 7 List (Warner Bros.) 8 Rambo 3.5 36.2 3 (Lions Gate) 9 Meet the 3.5 33.5 3 Spartans (20th Century Fox) 10 Vince 3.0 3.0 1 Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show (Pictureho use) *--*
Source: Times research
Los Angeles Times
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
