Will 'Bridesmaids' ruffle up the box office?

By Sarah Sluis

This weekend is something of a box-office test for a female-driven R-rated comedy. Bridesmaids (2,917 theatres) comes from producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up), a veteran of risqu comedies, and stars Kristen Wiig, who co-wrote the screenplay. As the latest "SNL" veteran to cross over to feature films, "Wiig creates a portrait of a woman at loose ends that is simultaneously poignant and rib-tickling," critic Kevin Lally affirms. The comedy is already showing strong interest among females over 17, but Universal's biggest struggle will be convincing men that Bridesmaids is their kind of movie. Given these difficulties, the movie's target is an opening weekend in the conservative high teen millions, lower than other Apatow openings. With a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 91%, however, it will be a crime if this movie doesn't do big business.

Even after coming down from its $80 million opening weekend, Thor should be able to hold its first-place spot. A 60% drop would put the film at $32 million, a number out of reach for Bridesmaids. Fast Five, too, should continue a strong showing and remain within the top five.

The residual effect of these tentpoles should not dampen Priest (2,864 theatres), a religious-inflected horror movie that will also collect premiums for being in 3D. Critic Ray Bennett panned the "short, dour and stodgy creature feature," which borrows heavily from classic films from every imaginable genre. He hopes it will be the end for Priest: "The blatant set-up for a sequel after the climactic battle appears almost pitiable."

Will Ferrell plays an alcoholic whose life is imploding in Everything Must Go (218 theatres). Despite "mixed results" due to a reliance on "feel-good platitudes," critic Wendy R. Weinstein praised Ferrell, who "delivers a nuanced, sympathetic lead performance in a rare dramatic role."

Also hitting theatres is Lionsgate's low-budget teen dance film, Go For It (218 theatres). Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a motherless boy's anti-savior in Hesher (40 theatres), "[undoing] a lot of goodwill he inspired with his sweet leading-man qualities in (500) Days of Summer,' according to critic David Noh. National Geographic Entertainment releases based-on-a-true-story tale The First Grader (3 theatres), which centers on an 80-something man who enrolls in first grade in Kenya. The heartwarming story is "a textbook case of what happens to a good story when it's poorly directed," according to critic Maria Garcia.

When the weekend is over, the big question will be "Did Bridesmaids succeed?" If the answer is yes, a number of copycats will hit the market next year. If the answer is no, I actually think Hollywood will keep trying. Bridesmaids identified a gap in the marketplace, and it's just a matter of time before someone hits the jackpot.