"Anchorman" is the kind of movie every studio craves: A low-budget comedy that even in "Spider-Man 2's" giant shadow still grossed more than $28 million in its first weekend. And yet just over a year ago DreamWorks nearly let the Will Ferrell movie slip away.
The studio's wavering is less a testament to Hollywood's chronic indecision than it is evidence of Ferrell's remarkably rapid ascension. In only 17 months since last year's "Old School," Ferrell has rocketed from bit-part scene stealer to movie superstar, attracting enough starring roles to keep him in front of cameras through the end of next summer. All told, the "Saturday Night Live" alumnus will appear in three more films before year's end and will star in another three next year.
Ferrell, 36, is clearly adored by moviegoers, but he attracts particular worship from studio executives: Although he's no longer a bargain, his films still are, costing a fraction of what's allocated on special effects-laden action blockbusters. Last December's "Elf" cost only $33 million but grossed more than $173 million domestically.
Ferrell's current $20-million asking price is, in fact, $5 million less than what Warner Bros. spent relocating its "Troy" production from Europe to Baja California. And "Anchorman," carrying a budget of around $25 million, cost about a quarter of "King Arthur," a film that it is trouncing at the box office.
"Comedies have always been a low-risk business for studios," says Todd Phillips, who directed and co-wrote Ferrell's break-out hit "Old School." "As much as I'd like to say comedies hinge on writers and directors, it's very much a star-driven business."
Finding those stars has proved difficult recently. The older generation of comic giants, whose members include Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy, no longer generate moviegoer swarms, and current comedy kings Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler have eclectic tastes, sometimes picking complex (and not wildly commercial) dramas like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Punch-Drunk Love." Newcomers Jack Black and Owen Wilson have yet to prove they single-handedly can open a movie.
Outside of Ben Stiller, Ferrell is one of the few comedians who can reliably deliver an audience, even when his film's reviews aren't that strong.
"It's rare that you have a guy where you throw him on a poster and immediately you're opening at over $25 million. There's security in that," says Adam McKay, a longtime Ferrell "Saturday Night Live" collaborator who directed and co-wrote "Anchorman."
