Steve Carell proved not nearly as all-powerful as Jim Carrey. "Evan Almighty," with Carell taking over for Carrey in a follow-up to the 2003 comedy smash "Bruce Almighty," debuted a solid No. 1 with $32.
1 million, though that was less than half the $68 million opening of its predecessor, according to studio estimates Sunday. Released by Universal, "Evan Almighty" has Carell as a new congressman instructed by God (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark for a coming flood. Carrey's "Bruce Almighty" was an adult comedy, while the PG-rated "Evan Almighty" was aimed at a family crowd, which could give it longer shelf life, said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution at Universal.
"Family films have an incredible ability to just play and play," Rocco said. "I'm very optimistic about it playing out over the course of the summer." "Evan Almighty" needs to hold up well in subsequent weeks to make good on its $175 million budget, an enormous sum for a comedy, resulting largely from costly visual effects.
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