After a summer of bland remakes and disappointing sequels, the original sci-fi thriller Inception [INCPT] arrives to save the season for the discerning moviegoers. Coming hot off The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan [CNOLA] has created a mind-bending heist film set inside the minds of people’s dreams. Leonardo DiCaprio [LDCAP] leads an all-star cast of dream weavers in the PG-13 rated film. Warner Bros.' $100 million marketing campaign has mainly focused on the physics-defying effects, which has generated tremendous buzz with men, though not with women. The rave reviews have further stoked the flames of anticipation. Breaking into 3792 theaters, Inception could plant the seed of about $72 million.
After an enviable debut, Despicable Me [DESME] has continued to roll up the box office during the weekdays. The 3D animated film will be the film of choice for family moviegoers. With great word of mouth, Despicable Me should win over another $33 million and finish in second place.
Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer are back with their second fantasy CG-fest for summer 2010. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice [SORAP] reunites Nicolas Cage [NCAGE] with National Treasure director Jon Turteltaub [JTURE]. The PG-rated adventure has created little interest due to its generic been-there, seen-that vibe. Disney moved the release date a couple of days to generate word of mouth (and to avoid Inception head-on). However, the film conjured up just $4 million on Wednesday. Appearing in 3385 theaters, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice may master just $24 million for the weekend.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse [TWLI3] looks to pick up another $16 million from the fanatics of Team Edward and Team Jacob.
Predators [PRED3] connected with its target demographic last weekend. However, that same male-dominated audience will drop Predators over 50% to around $10 million in its second outing.
That’s the whisper from the trading floor.
Tag(s): INCPT, CNOLA, LDCAP, DESME, SORAP, NCAGE, JTURE, TWLI3, PRED3