Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in BABY MAMA(2008).
© Universal Pictures
Tina Fey's MAMA Beats Harold & Kumar
By: Jarrod SarafinDate: Sunday, April 27, 2008
It was a slow weekend at the box office where audiences couldn’t decide on which movie to watch so the top 4 finishers all took a piece of the pie. Tina Fey had the biggest laugh of the group though with her film Baby Mama finishing in 1st place with 18.2 mil, despite the heavy marketing of Harold and Kumar. Universal opened her film in 2,543 theaters so it had an average rate of $7,184. The studio lists the budget at only 30 mil so this is definitely a good beginning for the film.
Surprisingly, Harold and Kumar: Escape From Guantanamo Bay found its way into 2nd place even with the heavy marketing mentioned above. The sequel debuted in 2,510 theaters and pulled in 14.5 mil, which has it averaging $5,804 per showing. One of the last films from New Line is also a profitable success after only three days in the theater as well. The studio lists the budget at only 12 mil.
Following in 3rd place is The Forbidden Kingdom from Lionsgate. The film dropped 47% in its second week at the theaters and grabbed 11.2 mil in receipts. The Jet Li-Jackie Chan team-up is still showing in 3,151 theaters so it had an average of $3,563 per showing. No budget is listed but so far, the film has pulled in 38.2 mil domestically and another 3.2 mil overseas.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall dropped 2 places to 4th over the weekend but also reached the profit lines so Universal should be pleased. The Segel comedy laughed up 11.0 mil while still getting shown in 2,799 theaters. This is only a 37% drop from its debut totals and its domestic gross is now at 35.0 mil while its budget is listed at 30.
Fox’s Nim’s Island didn’t move one inch in its fourth week at the box office. The film landed in 5th place once again and pulled in only 4.5 mil in its 2,977 theaters. I said a few weeks ago that it would get to its budget mark even if it would be a slow process and sure enough, it’s happened. Its budget is listed at 37 mil and it now has 38.9 mil domestically.
Landing right behind in 6th place is the PG-13 rated remake of Prom Night from Sony Screen Gems. The film dropped three places in its third weekend by pulling in another 4.4 mil in its 2,821 theaters. It has a budget listed at only 20 mil and it has grossed 38.1 mil so far in domestic sales.
Next up is Sony again with its M.I.T-beats-Vegas tale of 21, the biggest success of the spring besides Horton Hears a Who. The Kevin Spacey film nabbed another 4.0 mil in sales this weekend while still getting shown in 2,952 theaters. Surprisingly, the studio is still adding theaters for the film its fifth week of release, increasing it in another 49 theaters this weekend. Domestically, it has grossed 75.7 mil here in the states and another 21.1 mil overseas. The studio lists the budget at only 35 mil so a worldwide gross of 96.8 mil isn’t bad at all.
Following in 8th place is Sony for the third time in a row with their 88 Minutes, which dropped four places in only its second weekend. The film pulled in only 3.6 mil this weekend and domestically, it has only 12.6 mil. Clearly, not very good numbers for Sony on this one.
It looks like Fox’s Horton Hears a Who is finally ready to leave theaters houses after an outstanding run these past seven weeks. The Dr. Seuss adaptation managed another 2.4 mil in 9th place even while it was pulled out of 511 theaters across the nation. Being the top performer of the spring, Fox has its budget listed at 85 mil and it has grossed 266.7 mil worldwide. 147.8 of that is from domestic sales.
Taking the final 10th spot for this box office report is the last remaining debut film of the weekend, the thriller Deception. Despite having Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman, the film only managed to pull in 2.2 mil in its first three days at the box office. Fox has it showing in 2,001, which isn’t bad at all so clearly either audiences didn’t know about it, didn’t care or the studio didn’t advertise it enough.
| Rank | Movie | Weekend | Theaters | Average | Total | Budget |
| 1 | Baby Mama | 18.2 mil | 2,543 | $7,184 | 18.2 mil | 30 |
| 2 | Harold and Kumar 2 | 14.5 mil | 2,510 | $5,804 | 14.5 mil | 12 |
| 3 | The Forbidden Kingdom | 11.2 mil | 3,151 | $3,563 | 38.2 mil | - |
| 4 | Forgetting Sarah Marshall | 11.0 mil | 2,799 | $3,934 | 35.0 mil | 30 |
| 5 | Nim’s Island | 4.5 mil | 2,977 | $1,519 | 38.9 mil | 37 |
| 6 | Prom Night | 4.4 mil | 2,821 | $1,559 | 38.1 mil | 20 |
| 7 | 21 | 4.0 mil | 2,952 | $1,355 | 75.7 mil | 35 |
| 8 | 88 Minutes | 3.6 mil | 2,168 | $1,660 | 12.6 mil | - |
| 9 | Horton Hears a Who | 2.4 mil | 2,159 | $1,116 | 147.8 mil | 85 |
| 10 | Deception | 2.2 mil | 2,001 | $1,111 | 2.2 mil | - |
And with that, our slow dry spell at the box office has come to an end and it’s time for the summer movies to kick us into overdrive. First on the list is Iron Man, which will begin showing at 8 pm on May 1st in over 3,800 theaters.
How much do you see the film making, Maniacs?
Friday May 2, 2008 Releases:
Iron Man (3,800 theaters)
Made of Honor (2,700 theaters)
Son of Rambow
Fugitive Pieces
Mister Lonely
Redbelt
