Paramount Pictures has thrown its hat into the ring for the more-competitive-than-ever Christmas Day release date, setting Mark Wahlberg-Will Ferrell starrer Daddy’s Home for a wide release on December 25.
Horrible Bosses 2 team John Anders and Sean Morris wrote and directed the comedy, a co-production with Red Granite Pictures in association with Gary Sanchez Productions, which was put on a fast track once the stars of 2010’s hit The Other Guys decided to team up once again (Ferrell was previously attached with Vince Vaughn, but that iteration of the pic, with Ferrell’s Get Hard director Etan Cohen, fell apart a while back).
The film centers on a radio executive (Ferrell) who wants to be the best stepdad in the world to his wife’s children. When the lazy, loudmouthed real father (Wahlberg) appears on their doorstep, though, the mild-mannered guy finds himself in a furious tug-of-war for his new family’s affections.
This year, the Christmas slot will be arguably the most competitive it’s ever been, thanks to Star Wars: The Force Awakens opening a week before and a bunch of other high-profile contenders crowding in to try to dethrone that mega-blockbuster (it seems incredibly unlikely that any of them will succeed in that endeavor, with experts estimating that Star Wars will quickly become one of the highest-grossing movies of all time).
If the galaxy far, far away wasn’t enough of a threat to Daddy’s Home, the comedy will directly square off against the fourth Alvin and the Chipmunks movie, Will Smith-led football drama Concussion, Warner Bros.’ high-octane Point Break remake, Oliver Stone-directed thriller-drama Snowden with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and reigning Best Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s period revenge Western The Revenant, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy and Will Poulter.
That’s a ridiculously crowded few weeks at the box office, and it would be no surprise to see more than a few of those titles pack up and plant their flags elsewhere. Daddy’s Home may end up in that category, especially as Ferrell’s last comedy Get Hard did well (despite being abhorrent) at the end of March, but it also wouldn’t be surprising if Point Break surrendered the spot and moved to January, seeing as it’s likely not competing for any awards that would require it to screen before year’s end.