Despite the failure of Battleship, Hasbro and Universal has forged ahead to adapt another board game into a feature film. Ouija [OUIJA] should have an easier time connecting with moviegoers as the PG-13 rated horror film is actually centered on the board game itself that every teenager has played with at one time or another. Advance tickets sales are pacing ahead of last year’s Carrie, which debuted at $16.1 million. Playing in 2858 theaters, Ouija could raise up $21 million.
Strong buzz in the older target demographics should keep Fury [FURY] rolling along. With little competition for serious adult fare, Fury could hold 60% to $14 million.
Keanu Reeves [KREEV] stars as a hitman in the R-rated actioner John Wick [JWICK]. Summit picked up the film and scheduled its release date only two months ago, yet has generated considerable buzz with a very effective trailer and marketing campaign. John Wick has also earned very strong reviews atypical for the genre. Opening in 2589 theaters, John Wick looks to claim $13 million.
The animated fantasy Book of Life [BOLIF] may be able to hold 65% of its debut for $11 million.
After two weeks of limited release, The Weinstein Co. expands St. Vincent [SVDVN] wide into 2282 theaters. Bill Murray [BMURR] and Melissa McCarthy [MMCCA] star in the PG-13 rated comedy, which has scored a high per screen average thus far. With good word of mouth, St. Vincent could earn around $8 million.
That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): OUIJA, FURY, KREEV, JWICK, BOLIF, SVDVN, BMURR, MMCCA