WILL FERRELL - FERRELL FILM THOUGHT TO BE SLAM DUNK AT BOX OFFICE

Will Ferrell will be adding basketball to his series of sports spoofs and is expected to give the hapless New Line a rare box office victory with Semi-Pro this weekend. Box-office analysts predict that the film will score a slam-dunk $25-30 million -- and that figure could be conservative. Ferrell's last film, Blades of Glory (2007), in which he played a figure-skating champ, opened with $33 million. Talladega Nights (2006), in which he played a NASCAR driver, opened with $47 million. If Semi-Pro fails to equal those figures, analysts say, it will be because films that open at this time of year rarely do as well as films that open in spring and summer, as the other two films did. Semi-Pro is also opening with an R rating, unlike the other two, which were rated PG-13. Two other films are opening this weekend, with low box-office expectations. Each targets women -- The Other Boleyn Girl, starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johannsson and Eric Bana, and Penelope, starring Christina Ricci.

29/02/2008