Apr 30 2008 11:15 PM ET

'Speed Racer' faces roadblocks at the box office

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Insiders are questioning whether Speed Racer — a PG-rated take on the cult ’60s cartoon from the Wachowski Brothers — will face a few roadblocks at the box office. They point to early tracking numbers that predict an opening in the mid-$30 million range for Racer — which cost $120 million to make and is sandwiched between Iron Man and the Narnia sequel Prince Caspian on the summer release slate. Warner Bros.’ president of domestic distribution, Dan Fellman, won’t comment on box office projections, but he disputes that the film, which graced a recent EW cover, is suffering from low awareness: “Family tracking is great, and we got a bump from 17- to 35-year olds, probably fans of the TV show.” Still, those folks likely discovered Racer during its irony-laden mid-’90s renaissance on MTV. The Wachowski version, on the other hand, plays directly to kids with videogame-like F/X, simple dialogue, and lots of scenes with a pet monkey. No caped avengers or flying bullets here — just high-octane family fun. “The Wachowskis have made a lot of R-rated movies,” says producer Joel Silver. “They wanted to finally make a film for everybody.” The question now is whether everybody will show up. (Additional reporting by Carrie Bell)

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