August is a big month for comedy. I’ve seen two of the major comedy releases already: Step Brothers (good) and Pineapple Express (a classic). I’m dying to see Tropic Thunder – a billboard just down Ventura Blvd from my house constantly taunts me – and it looks like I’ll have to wait until Comic Con for my chance.
The newest trailer, for international audiences, makes that wait a little bit harder. It only has a few moments of new footage that wasn’t in previous trailers, but it’s cut together in a way that makes my funnybone itch. You can see the trailer by clicking here (by the way, I love that Americans can see the international video but international audiences are usually blocked from seeing the advertising material for Americans. USA! USA!) and see if it works as well for you as it does for me.
I was talking to a friend about the crowded August comedy landscape, and he was worried about how Tropic Thunder would impact Pineapple. I think Tropic will definitely make more money – it’s far more mainstream, with more bankable names – but that Pineapple will be the hip choice. And with Pineapple costing less than 30 million dollars, it has a much better chance of hitting profitability right away, since Tropic must have cost a dime or two.