Space Chimps, Dark Knight Blast Off

Friday, July 18, 2008
By: Ryan Ball

The CG-animated family film Space Chimps from Vanguard Animation and Starz Media gets off the launch pad today, soaring into the nation’s theaters along with Warner Bros’ latest Batman epic, The Dark Knight. Director Christopher Nolan’s sequel to Batman Begins is sure to win the weekend, but Chimps stands a chance of luring family audiences with the promise of light, comical fare. The flick is getting favorable reviews from many of the nation’s top critics, which should help the cause.

Produced by John H. Williams (Shrek, Shrek 2) and Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black, The Addams Family), Space Chimps features the voices of Andy Samberg (Saturday Night live), Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Patrick Warburton (Family Guy), Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies) and Stanley Tucci (ER). The adventure-comedy follows the exploits of a mischievous circus chimp named Ham (Samberg), who happens to be the grandson of the first primate ever sent into space. As a publicity stunt, Ham is chosen to lead a mission into space to explore a mysterious new planet. When he and his crew crash land on the bizarre world and find their lives in peril, Ham must prove that he really does have the right stuff.

The film marks the directorial debut of writer Kirk DeMicco, whose screenwriting credits include the 1998 Warner Bros. animated feature Quest for Camelot and the upcoming DreamWorks Animation production Crood Awakening. Space Chimps is also the first animated feature for Sonnenfeld, who produced Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and directed such live-action hits Get Shorty, Men in Black and Men in Black II.

If advance ticket sales are any indication, The Dark Knight stands to become the biggest blockbuster of the year. Many shows were sold out weeks in advance and fans stood in long lines for late-night screenings on Thursday to be the first to see the showdown between Batman and arch nemesis The Joker. The move is rolling out in a whopping 4,366 theaters across North America.

The Dark Knight stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, who teams with future police commissioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Gotham's new District Attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), to take on a psychotic bank robber known as The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger. Ledger’s performance is garnering critical acclaim and will be a major driving force behind ticket sales for this fifth superhero release of the summer. The pic is on track to out-perform Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Hancock and Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which have all done well this season. Box-office receipts for Dark Knight will also surely surpass those for Batman Begins, which debuted in 2005 and grossed $371 million worldwide.

Also opening in wide release today is Universal’s filmed adaptation of the hit musical Mamma Mia! Featuring a star-studded cast led by Meryl Streep, the romantic comedy built around ABBA songs is expected to be a big hit, especially with women. Tough competition this weekend will keep its opening modest, but the film is expected to rack up impressive numbers over time.

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