MADAGASCAR 3 LIKELY TO TROUNCE CRUISE AND SANDLER

The Warner Bros./New Line movie version of the Broadway hit Rock of Ages — this one featuring Tom Cruise in a rollicking performance as a rock singer — and a new, raunchier Adam Sandler movie, That’s My Boy, arrive in theaters this weekend, but analysts are predicting that both will be beaten by the DreamWorks Animation family film, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, and possibly by last weekend’s runner-up, Prometheus, as well. Both new films have received mostly negative reviews from critics; in fact, in the case of the Sandler film, there’s not a single positive review from a major newspaper critic to be found. Most of the favorable comments for Rock of Ages focus on Cruise’s performance as a depraved rock star, although he is given short shrift in most of the recent promotional material for the movie. Madagascar 3 is expected to wind up with around $30 million this weekend, followed by Prometheus with around $25 million. Rock of Ages will likely place third with $23 million, while That’s My Boy will likely end up with around $20 million.