Valentine's Day is Music to Moviegoers' Ears
February 14, 2007
It's Valentine's Day, which can only mean one thing: Romance is in the air. Millions of happy couples will be heading out on romantic dates, candle-lit dinners, slow dancing, walks on the beach, all the time hoping that their spouses don't find out. Okay, I admit my opinion on Valentine's Day is rather low, but I promise that's the last I'll make crack. (Although I will recommend a couple anti-love songs for those not in the mood. And chocolate. I recommend lots of chocolate.) This year the movie industry is giving two romantic comedies for those in love, while the rest of us will have to wait till Friday for an action flick to wash the palate of sticky romance.
The two romantic comedies coming out today are Music and Lyrics and Daddy's Little Girls. Both of which are tracking reasonably well.
Music and Lyrics seems to have the edge with two very bankable stars. Individually, Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore have done some a lot of romantic comedies. The Wedding Singer, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Never Been Kissed, Notting Hill, 50 First Dates, Two Weeks Notice, etc. So putting them into a movie seems like a perfect mix and so far the critics seem to agree. Granted, 60% positive might not seem like a great score, but that's Oscar level compared to most similar films which tend to be too predictable for critics. While I'm not saying the film isn't predictable, there's more than enough charm to overcome that and draw in moviegoers. Look for just over $6 million tonight, just under $4 million tomorrow, and $19 million over the weekend while it should end with $65 million in total.
Daddy's Little Girls is a lot more difficult to predict. Neither of Tyler Perry's previous films seemed to have a lot going for them, but both opened huge. Then again, both crashed fast after that. So today's opening is all the more important because of that, which explains why the studio changed gears and focusing on Gabrielle Union as a young lawyer in love and less on Idris Elba as a father trying to get his daughters back. This could help get people into theatres today, perhaps even helping it come out on top, but they didn't change the movie and a sharp drop-off is very likely. Look for just under $7 million today, just over $3 million tomorrow and $15 million over the weekend. However, with possible misleading ad campaign, zero reviews, and a Tyler Perry's track record suggest the film will make more from now till Sunday than it will the rest of its run.
As for the rest of the new releases and whatever holdovers can grab a spot in the top five, we'll have those predictions tomorrow at the usual time.
Filed under: Music and Lyrics, Daddy's Little Girls