Tina Fey (L) and Amy Poehler arrive for the premiere of 'Baby Mama,' the first film of the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival in New York, April 23, 2008. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)
According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, "Baby Mama" earned a better-than-expected $18.3 million, as young women flocked to the "Odd Couple"-style pregnancy hijinks.
The stoner sequel "Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" opened at No. 2 with $14.6 million, generating buzz among male youngsters.
Last weekend's champion, the Jackie Chan-Jet Li martial-arts vehicle "The Forbidden Kingdom," fell to No. 3 with $11.2 million. Its 10-day haul stands at $38.3 million. The film was released by Lionsgate, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.
Fey, the star and creator of the cult TV hit "30 Rock," stars in "Baby Mama" as a busy executive who hires a gum-chewing, cocktail-swigging woman (Amy Poehler) to carry her baby. Women accounted for about 68 percent of the audience, said Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric Co's NBC Universal.
On the other hand, 65 percent of the audience for "Harold and Kumar" was male, said Warner Bros. Pictures. The film's predecessor, 2004's "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle," made just $18.25 million during its run in theaters. But its success on DVD meant that a sequel was a no-brainer. Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc.
(Reporting by Dean Goodman)
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