‘Breadwinner’ Broadsided by YouTube Horror Sleepers

Nate Bargatze can do no wrong on a comedy stage.

The squeaky-clean comic sells out arenas with impunity. He’s the top-selling stand-up in the country, and it isn’t close. So, naturally, a Hollywood studio gave him a PG-rated comedy to call his own.

Enter “The Breadwinner.”

The Sony release casts Bargazte in an oh, so familiar role. He’s a put-upon Dad forced to play Mr. Mom when his wife (Mandy Moore) snags a huge deal on “Shark Tank.”

Laundry? School pick-ups? Cooking? Uh, oh.

It’s a perfect vehicle for Bargatze, on paper, but so far movie goers are opting for something different. The film is looking at a $7-8 million opening, a far cry from the numbers some expected given his outsized fame.

It doesn’t help that the box office competition is nasty at the moment.

Not only must “The Breadwinner” battle the newest “Star Wars” film, but it’s up against two indie horror films that are overperforming in dramatic fashion.

“Obsession” keeps growing, weekend after weekend. “Backrooms,” opening now, could make as much as $80 million.

Or more.

Those films don’t directly compete with “The Breadwinner,” a family-friendly comedy that should be able to carve out space for itself.

So far, not so good.

The critical reviews aren’t helping. “The Breadwinner” wasn’t screened for Denver-based critics. The rest of the country isn’t exactly enamored of the film. The Rotten Tomatoes score is currently 29 percent “rotten.” 

It’s not just a problem for Bargatze. Fellow stand-up superstars have struggled to make the leap to the big screen. Sebastian Maniscalco’s “About My Father” crashed and burned two years ago. It opened with $4.3 million and stalled out at $12 million.

Bert Kreischer’s “The Machine” also couldn’t draw traffic, ending up with $10 million US.

The upside for Team Bargatze? It’s summer, and parents will be eager for clean, family-friendly fare with oodles of air conditioning. Plus, that 85 percent “fresh” rating at RottenTomatoes.com from general audiences could spark serious world of mouth.

He may dress like a suburban dad, but Bargatze’s “Breadwinner” could have serious legs.

What’s your favorite Bargatze bit?