'Baby' has the right formula

Tina Fey comedy nets $6.3 million Friday

By ANTHONY D'ALESSANDRO

A trio of comedies took the top spots at the Friday box office, led by Universal's Tina Fey-Amy Poehler starrer "Baby Mama," which delivered $6.3 million from 2,543 theaters on the strength of the female demo and a friendly PG-13 rating.

New Line R-rated sequel "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay," distributed by Warner Bros., placed second with $5.8 million from 2,510 sites on its opening day. Pic's first day has already bested the opening weekend of its first installment, "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" which opened to $5.5 million in July 2004 and finaled at $18.3 million.

In its second Friday, U's R-rated "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" held up well despite the new competition. The Judd Apatow production ranked third, grossing $3.4 million at 2,799 locales, down 43%, with an eight-day cume of $27.5 million.

The Jackie Chan-Jet Li headliner "Forbidden Kingdom" took fourth with $3.2 million from 3,151, a 59% drop from its opening day and a cume to date of $30.2 million.

Slotting fifth, Sony's "Prom Night" counted $1.7 million from 2,821 in its third Friday, down 51% for a cume to date of $35.4 million.

Friday's third wide release, Fox's Hugh Jackman-Ewan McGregor thriller "Deception," bowed in ninth, bringing in $750,000 from 2,001 engagements. Pic, directed by TV commercial helmer Marcel Langenegger, centers around a straight-laced accountant's entanglement with an attorney con man. MGM's new entry, the Burt Reynolds-Bret Harrison poker drama "Deal" grossed just $12,000 from 50 theaters.

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