By Walid Habboub
April is much like Fenster, Benicio Del Toro's star making role in The Usual
Suspects, in that it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.
April is just the quiet before the storm that is the summer box office
season, which will be kicked off this year by X2. With respect to that,
here's my quick preview of what to expect in April. Each number beside the
movies is a forecast of how it will rank as an overall performer for the
months of April.
X Minus 4 Weeks
8) Eddie Griffin: Dysfunktional Family
With the success of The Original Kings of Comedy and Martin Lawrence:
Runteldat, Dysfunktional Family brings arguably the most talented of the BET
Comicview alumni to the big screen in his very own stand-up comedy feature
length film. Griffin more or less already has a stand-up film in Foolish but
this film allows him to truly arrive on the scene. The Undercover Brother should
be a big hit this month and the MTV crowd should eat this film up.
5) A Man Apart
If the star of this film isn't really talking about it, I'm sure the fans
won't either. Unfortunately, this horrendously reviewed film still carries a
marquee name in Vin Diesel and should still do well.
3) What a Girl Wants
This film is basically The Princess Diaries 2 and should be just as
successful. The concept is tired but proven and the star is well known
enough to pull this film off. The film should have tremendous legs and have
a solid month.
2) Phone Booth
Having already seen this movie at the Toronto International Film Festival, I
know that it will be a film that fans will like. It's a very intense
thriller that moves along briskly and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Due to the appeal of the premise, I'm predicting it to be a breakout hit
upon opening and expect it to have very decent legs. A crowded weekend
starts off a thin month.
X Minus 3 Weeks
1) Anger Management
This film could very well be the biggest April opener in history. The
premise and the leads are fantastic, the advertising campaign has been
mind-numbingly persistent and the film actually looks funny. Put all those
together and you have a film with breakout written all over it. Think Analyze This,
only bigger. The film will also appeal across many age groups, which will
only help its cause. Ladies and gentlemen: the champion of April.
X Minus 2 Weeks (Sort Of)
7) Bulletproof Monk
Hard to believe that Chow Yun-Fat's follow up to Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon is this lovely cinematic masterpiece, but nonetheless. I'm not sure of who the target audience is, but the high camp factor
should keep many people away.
X Minus 1 Week
10) Holes
I have no idea how this film will sell itself. It's on the list because a
list of nine films would feel incomplete.
9) It Runs in the Family
Michael Douglas in a comedy is a recipe for disaster but this film looks
quite decent. It's fairly low on the radar screen and I'm guessing only a
small demographic will be intrigued by the Michael and Kirk Douglas team up.
Not a lot to this one.
6) Malibu's Most Wanted
The trailer was hilarious, the ads not so much. Still, Jamie Kennedy fits in
perfectly as the fish out of water white rapper who finds himself in the
middle of the hood at the horror of everyone around him. This had the
potential to be big but the television ads have betrayed it. Yet the film
still might find an audience and do reasonably well.
4) Identity
I've got to say that I am really looking forward to this film. On the other
hand, I'm hoping that it'll be a more traditional mystery rather than a
slasher film. Identity has a decent cast, an interesting premise and what
looks like great atmosphere. The film should do well with very little
same-genre films in release. Another mild surprise
So, I'm expecting the top ten to break down as follows:
1) Anger Management
2) Phone Booth
3) What a Girl Wants
4) Identity
5) A Man Apart
6) Malibu's Most Wanted
7) Bulletproof Monk
8) Eddie Griffin: Dysfunktional Family
9) It Runs in the Family
10) Holes
Read David Mumpower's April forecast
Read Stephanie Star Smith's April forecast
