`Funny People` laughing loudest at Box Office

Los Angeles: It`s shaping up as a tale of two genres at the weekend Box Office in North America.

A trio of studios will be singing "We Are Family" again, but the No. 1 picture is likely to be "Funny People," a new R-rated comedy that extends another recent theatrical trend. The family-friendly films "G-Force," "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" nabbed three of the top five spots last weekend, so one might think that the moms-and-kids segment is saturated. But so far this summer, parents have shown boundless enthusiasm for rounding up the tots for a couple hours of air-conditioned diversion. Fox`s family-targeting adventure fantasy "Aliens in the Attic," which opens Friday, mixes computer-animated extraterrestrials into predominantly live-action shenanigans. Originally scheduled for a spring bow, "Aliens" -- then titled "They Came from Upstairs" -- was delayed after the studio decided to tweak its screenplay and visual effects. John Schultz ("The Honeymooners") directed the young ensemble cast. "It`s summertime, and I think there`s plenty of interest for a picture like this," Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder said. Prerelease tracking indicates "Aliens" might do best with boys, opening with $11 million-$13 million through Sunday. That`s just below the expected range for the second weekend of Disney`s family adventure fantasy "G-Force," which ruled the box office last session, and Warner Bros.` "Half-Blood Prince," whose third frame will be bolstered by an expansion to 160 Imax venues. But this weekend`s box office crown is likely to be worn by a comedy bearing a restricted rating -- like the other two pictures in last weekend`s top five, "The Ugly Truth" and "Orphan." Universal`s "Funny People" -- a Judd Apatow-directed dramatic comedy starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann -- appears a lock to open north of $20 million. How much higher is the subject of much speculation. Industry forecasts have been unusually errant this summer, and "Funny" is considered a picture whose fate is tied to word-of-mouth from its earliest audiences. So a positive reaction among Friday patrons -- spread via Facebook, Twitter, texting, etc. -- could prove particularly key toward the picture`s sustaining momentum Saturday and Sunday. With a running time pushing 2-1/2 hours and a story involving a stand-up comic with cancer (Sandler), "People" isn`t the most obvious sort of Apatow comedy. But it has been drawing relatively positive early reviews, and broadly solid prerelease interest appears strongest among male youngsters. Produced for an estimated $70 million, "People" is the third Apatow-helmed picture after "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up." "Virgin" opened in August 2005 with $21.4 million, en route to ringing up $109.4 million domestically; "Knocked Up" bowed with $30.7 million and registered $148.8 million in total domestic coin. The weekend`s third wide opener is a horror picture with modest aims. The Freestyle-distributed "The Collector," starring Josh Stewart ("The Haunting of Molly Hartley") appears headed for a bow in the single-digit millions. Freestyle co-founder Mark Borde said "Collector" targets younger males, unlike last weekend`s horror release "Orphan," which skewed heavily female in fetching $12.9 million from its first frame. Bureau Report