The last weekend of August begins three new wide releases, but once again The Help [THELP] is likely to remain atop the box office. The period drama about Southern white women and their black maids declined just 23% in its second weekend. With no new competition for its target audience, The Help should maintain another great hold for its third weekend. The Help looks to clean up another $15 million.
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark [AFRAD] is the third new horror release in three weeks. Katie Holmes [KHOLM] stars in the R-rated haunted house remake of a TV movie, but producer/writer Guillermo del Toro is the main draw for horror fans. FilmDistrict successfully opened Insidious to $13.3 million in April, but Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark faces stronger competition against the lingering Final Destination 5 and Fright Night. Opening in 2760 theaters, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark could shine a light on $10 million.
Zoe Saldana [ZSALD] toplines the PG-13 rated actioner Colombiana [CLMBA] as a female assassin. Produced by Luc Besson, the film doesn’t offer anything new or different from his previous work, not to mention the TV series 'Nikita' that’s based on his breakthrough film Le Femme Nikita. Though Saldana starred in Avatar and Star Trek, she has yet to establish a draw on her own. Appealing mainly to young males, Colombiana could score about $9 million from 2614 locations.
The summer of R-rated comedies ends with Our Idiot Brother [MIBRO]. Paul Rudd [PRUDD] stars as a stoner who imposes on the family of his three sisters. The Weinstein Co. has heavily marketed the film, but moviegoers may have already tuned out as evident with the under-performance of The Change-Up and 30 Minutes or Less. Arriving in 2555 theaters, Our Idiot Brother could wise up to $8 million.
Since all the sophomore films flopped, Rise of the Planet of the Apes [RSAPE] should stay in the top five and grab another $9 million.
That’s the whisper from the trading floor.
Tag(s): THELP, AFRAD, KHOLM, ZSALD, CLMBA, MIBRO, PRUDD, RSAPE