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Whisper Numbers: Will Kick-Ass 2 get served by The Butler?

Another foursome enters the box office frame this weekend with a close battle shaping up for the top spot. Aaron Taylor-Johnson [AJOHN] and Chloe Grace Moretz [CMORE] reprise their roles as wannabe superheroes in Kick-Ass 2 [KCKA2].  Jim Carrey [JCARR] joins the cast of the R-rated sequel, but not the publicity campaign due to the Sandy Hook massacre. Will the glorification of violence also turn off the more sensitive moviegoers? The original Kick-Ass opened to $19.8 million in 2010, but then dropped steeply. Director Matthew Vaughn did not return for the sequel, which also switched studios from Lionsgate to Universal. Reviews are worse than the original, but that’s not going to matter to the young male fanbase. Kick-Ass 2 could break $23 million from 2940 locations.

It took more than 40 producers to finally put together Lee Daniels’ The Butler [BUTLR], based on the real life of a black servant who wroked at the White House for eight Presidents. Forest Whitaker [FWHIT] stars in the lead role with Oprah Winfrey acting for the first time in 15 years as his wife. An all-star cast round out the historical figures. The Weinstein Co. got a lot of free publicity when Warner Bros. challenged its original title The Butler. The R-rated drama should have strong support from African-Americans and older women. The film will also cross-over into the arthouse crowd as director Lee Daniels [LDANI] is getting the best reviews of his career and award buzz for the film. Opening in 2933 theaters, Lee Daniels’ The Butler could collect more than $21 million.

With positive word of mouth evident during the weekday box office, We’re the Millers [WEMIL] should hold better than 55% of its debut and smuggle another $15 million. Although Elysium [ELYSM] opened better than We’re the Millers, the sci-fi was not as favorably received. Elysium could fall 55% to $13 million in its second outing. The animated Planes [PLANE] may dive 40% in its second weekend to $13 million.

Ashton Kutcher [AKUTC] stars as the late Apple co-founder in the biopic Jobs [JOBS].  The PG-13 rated film has garnered mostly negative reviews since premiering at the 2013 Sundance Festival.  However, Open Road only needs to entice a fraction of the fanatical Apple devotees  curious about the history of the tech company and its famous leader. Launching in 2381 theaters, Jobs could boot up $10 million.

The PG-13 rated thriller Paranoia [PRNOA] looks unlikely to make a star out of Liam Hemsworth [LHEMS]. The corporate espionage storyline is unlikely to appeal to fans of The Hunger Games. Instead, Gary Oldman [GOLDM] and Harrison Ford [HFORD] are more likely to interest the older adult crowd. While Relativity’s marketing campaign tries to latch onto the current debate over privacy, Paranoia has generated minimal buzz. Showing in 2459 locations, Paranoia may be lucky to crack $8 million.

That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.

Tag(s): AJOHN, CMORE, KCKA2, JCARR, BUTLR, FWHIT, LDANI, WEMIL, ELYSM, PLANE, AKUTC, JOBS, PRNOA, LHEMS, GOLDM, HFORD

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