SPIN FACTOR^® - The HSX Blog

Whisper Numbers: Man of Steel eyes super debut

Seven years after Superman Returns failed the reboot the original superhero franchise, Superman returns in another reboot Man of Steel [SUPR2], this time from the filmmakers behind the blockbuster Dark Knight trilogy. Much like Batman Begins explored the early years of Bruce Wayne in a gritty real-world, Man of Steel casts Henry Cavill [HCAVI] as a young Clark Kent confronting his origin as Kal-El from Krypton and struggling to deal with his superpowers in a gritty real-world. Amy Adams [AMADA] co-stars as Lois Lane, while Michael Shannon [MISHA] plays General Zod, whom fans will remember as the villain from Superman 2. Director Zack Snyder [ZSNYD] brings a serious tone to Man of Steel in contrast to the goofy humor of previous Superman films. However,  they may have gone too far as the mixed reviews have called Man of Steel humorless. Nevertheless, the anticipation amongst fans has been sky-high with each release of a new trailer building on the buzz of the previous one. Will it be enough to overcome the bad after-taste left by 2006’s Superman Returns, which opened on a Wednesday and grossed $84.6 million through its first Sunday?  Flying into 4207 theaters, Man of Steel may reach $114 million.

Seth Rogen [SROGE] got his real life buddies together for the apocalypse comedy This Is The End [JSVSA]. James Franco [JAFRA], Danny McBride [DMCBR], Craig Robinson [CROBI], Jonah Hill [JHILL] and Jay Baruchel [JBARU] play themselves as the Rapture commences leaving the non-believers behind in a hell on earth. With a stream of celebrities poking fun at themselves, the R-rated Sony release has build up buzz as the funniest comedy of the year thus far. This Is The End got a slight jump on Man of Steel by opening on Wednesday earning $7.8 million. 2008’s Pineapple Express also opened on a Wednesday and grossed $12.1 million on its way to a $23.2 million weekend. A week later, Tropic Thunder had a $6.5 million Wednesday and a $25.8 million weekend. Playing in 3055 theaters, This Is The End could suck up $27 million from Friday to Sunday.

After its stellar number one debut, The Purge [PURGE] looks to be headed for the typical horror cliff dive. The Purge could tumble around 60% to $14 million.

Now You See Me [NYSME] held exceptional well in its second weekend and should continue to appeal to older adults not interested in the two new releases. The illusionists could steal another $10 million.

Moviegoers didn’t care for a couple of middle-aged guys trying to crash Google in The Internship [NTERN]. With fierce competition for the male audience, the comedy is likely to drop 60% to $7 million.

Sony Pictures Classics expands the romance Before Midnight [BFSU3] wide into 897 theaters after 3 weeks of limited release where it’s made $1.5 million. The first two films in the trilogy, 1995’s Before Sunrise and 2004’s Before Sunset, both earned less than $6 million in limited release. However, the fanbase has grown over the years as evident in Before Midnight’s highest Per Screen Average. Having The Purge become Ethan Hawke’s [EHAWK] biggest hit to-date doesn’t hurt either.  Before Midnight has also earned some of the best reviews of the year, which is important to the target audience that has grown along with the series. Before Midnight could take home $3 million.

That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.

Tag(s): SUPR2, HCAVI, AMADA, MISHA, ZSNYD, SROGE, JSVSA, JAFRA, DMCBR, CROBI, JHILL, JBARU, PURGE, NYSME, NTERN, BFSU3, EHAWK

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