In this case, I suppose, with Jim Carrey, Jennifer Aniston, and the general plotline of 2003's smash comedy gone, the movie isn't so much a sequel as it is a spin-off. Steve Carell reprises his bit part as Evan Baxter (a TV anchor in and now a congressman), and this time the one who God (Morgan Freeman) has his eye on. Apparently, a flood is coming and the Big Guy needs someone to build an ark.
You get the idea. Sounds funny enough, and the potential financial damage done by Carrey's absence ( opened with $68 mil and brought in $242.8 mil total domestically) should be mitigated by the fact that Carell is a much bigger star now than he was four years ago.
Also, family comedies tend to be critic-proof, so I'd disregard the early poo-poohs from reviewers ( had a weak 40 out of 100 score on Metacritic.com as of Thursday). No, the wild-card factor is all those reports of cost overruns (the film is said to be the most expensive comedy ever, with a price tag in excess of $175 mil) and related problems.
They could be a sign of trouble on the horizon. Might want to start lining up your animals two by two! Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer This superhero sequel opened above expectations with $58.
1 mil, and it has been playing well through the week, earning around $5 mil per day. Considering the dearth of competing comic-book fare or, for that matter, of movies featuring dudes who look like the offspring of the front bumper of a '57 Buick a standard 50 percent drop should be about right.
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