Analyze This

The LA Times had a piece on New Line Cinema and its troubles. It's going to be gobbled up by Warner Brothers. (I have friends who work at New Line and I wish them well.)

In a previous piece, they discussed the outlook for today's New Line release, Will Ferrell's Semi-Pro. I thought they were a little fast and loose with the numbers. They note that Ferrell in a sports comedy is gold, but this one might be a bit different because it's R-rated. Then they note how much weaker R-rated comedies Old School and Analyze This opened, compared to Blades Of Glory and Talladega Nights.

This isn't fair. Old School opened before Ferrell and, for that matter, Vince Vaughn, were big stars. If you had that cast now, you'd save it for summer and make a fortune. And Analyze This opened almost a decade ago, when tickets were cheaper and grosses less front-loaded. I don't deny R comedies that appeal to the young artificially limit their audience, but that's no excuse to play with numbers.