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Paul Thomas Anderson helms this romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler. Paul Thomas Anderson? Romantic comedy?? Adam Sandler???

Yup, you are not misreading that phrase. Sandler is a small-business owner with seven sisters who has woman issues. He's afraid of love, until he meets a strange woman, played by Emily Watson. Oh, and Sandler's being pursued by some criminals. At least that's the rumored plot on various fan sites. Anderson's pretty tight-lipped about his movies, and his cast isn't divulging any secrets.

Punch-Drunk Love is in competition at Cannes this year, and its reception will have a huge part to play in its box-office success. Anderson's films usually have critical acclaim, cult followings, but not huge box-office numbers. Sandler's last movie, Little Nicky, was a disappointment for him (but in comparison to Anderson's BO numbers, the money made was huge). So, will Punch-Drunk Love be an Anderson film or a Sandler film in terms of money? Depends on how it is marketed. The addition of Tom Cruise to the Magnolia cast did not add box-office punch, but then again, Cruise's role was a supporting one. Sandler's carrying this picture, and if the numbers are bigger for this movie than Magnolia, you can partially credit him. Additionally, a romantic comedy may be an easier sell than any of the previous Anderson films.

Bottom line, watch the word out of Cannes, watch Sandler's numbers for his other 2002 release, Mr. Deeds, and, especially, watch how it's being marketed to the public. "A comedy starring Adam Sandler" will go a longer way towards money at the box office than "a film by PT Anderson." (Calvin Trager/BOP)

Comparison films for Punch-Drunk Love
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
Big Daddy	6/25/99	41.54	49.50	3027	13723.00	15668.0	163.48	194.81	3.94
Waterboy, The	11/6/98	39.41	50.66	2664	14794.00	18295.4	161.49	207.62	4.10
Mr. Deeds	6/28/02	37.16	38.63	3231	11501.00	11501.0	126.20	131.21	3.40
Wedding Singer, The	2/13/98	19.10	24.55	2821	6771.00	8373.5	80.25	103.17	3.66
Little Nicky	11/10/00	16.06	17.96	2910	5519.00	5938.8	39.44	44.12	2.46
Happy Gilmore *	2/16/96	8.51	11.61	2022	4209.00	5523.1	38.62	52.68	4.54
Billy Madison	2/10/95	6.64	9.20	1834	3621.00	4828.0	25.46	35.29	3.83
Magnolia	1/7/00	5.69	6.36	1034	5503.00	5921.6	22.45	25.11	3.78
Boogie Nights	10/31/97	4.68	6.14	907	5160.00	6520.3	26.39	34.66	4.77