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Will Adam Sandler score a box-office hit? | 152231__mrdeeds_bop_l
GONE BANANAS Will Sandler's ''Deeds'' get ''Big'' laughs at the box office?
Mr. Deeds: Sony Pictures
By Dave Karger
Dave Karger
Dave Karger
Dave Karger, a senior writer at EW, also reports on box office and other movie- related matters on NBC's ''Today''

Will ''Mr. Deeds'' be more of ''Big Daddy'' or a ''Little Nicky''? That's the question, as Adam Sandler's latest comedy hits theaters this weekend.

For his first film in more than a year and a half, the once-smokin' comedian (in 1998 and 1999, ''The Waterboy'' and ''Big Daddy'' averaged $40 million openings) saw his stock fall dramatically with the disastrous performance of his hellbound ''Little Nicky,'' which managed only a $16.1 debut and a $39.5 million total take.

Now he's back with ''Mr. Deeds,'' a remake of the 1936 Frank Capra drama ''Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.'' In ''Deeds,'' Sandler plays an average Joe who inherits $40 billion. But it's probably better known as ''the movie with Winona Ryder,'' thanks to her frequent court appearances lately. Will ''Deeds'' restore Sandler to $40 million-man status? Probably not. But thanks to its Earth-bound plot, it's likely to perform better than ''Nicky.'' Look for a solid $32 opening and a No. 1 finish.

After last week's super-close battle for No. 1 between ''Minority Report'' and ''Lilo & Stitch,'' the kiddie flick will outperform the star vehicle. Since family films usually see smaller drops, ''Stitch,'' which received a higher CinemaScore grade from audiences and has been the top film during the week so far, should fall about 35 percent to $23 million, while ''Minority'' could see a 40 percent decline to about $21 million.

The week's other new entry, ''Hey Arnold! The Movie,'' is likely to snag the fourth slot. A feature-length version of the Nickelodeon cartoon about the kid whose head looks like a football, ''Arnold'' may be a big kiddie draw, but he's no Rugrat. So ''Arnold's'' opening weekend will fall short of the $20-plus million hauls of the two ''Rugrats'' films. Instead, he'll manage a debut in the $14 million range.

And rounding out the top five will be ''Scooby-Doo'' in what is shaping up to be quite the family-friendly weekend. After ''Scooby's'' 55 percent decline last week, look for another 50 percent drop to $12 million. Ruh-roh!


Posted Jun 27, 2002 | Order Article Reprints