The holiday movie season gets underway with a 3D animated retelling of the classic tale A Christmas Carol [CAROL]. Jim Carrey [JCARR] is motion-captured playing multiple roles in the Disney film directed by Robert Zemeckis [RZEME], whose previous effort, the PG-13 rated Beowulf, opened to $27.5 million in 2007. With even more 3D and IMAX screens that command higher ticket prices, the PG-rated A Christmas Carol should entice families looking to get into the holiday spirit. Swooping into 3683 theaters, A Christmas Carol could ring in around $41 million to start off the season.
Universal hopes the alien abduction thriller The Fourth Kind [4KIND] can follow in the chilling footsteps of Paranormal Activity. Like Paramount’s breakout hit, The Fourth Kind blurs the line between reality and fiction with its use of “real” video footage. The novelty may have already worn off, or it could have whet appetite for more similar fare. Starring Milla Jovovich [MJOVO], the PG-13 rated The Fourth Kind could encounter $13 million at 2529 locations.
Overture’s Men Who Stared at Goats [MGOAT] is the first of three films featuring George Clooney [GCLOO] this season. Co-starring Ewan McGregor [EMCGR], the R-rated comedy looks into the psychic exploits of American soldiers in the Middle East. While the trailers and ads have been funny, advance reviews have been mixed. The cast should help attract adult moviegoers looking for sophisticated humor. Men Who Stared at Goats could psyche out $12 million from 2443 theaters.
Fans of Michael Jackson helped This Is It [JACKO] conquer the box office last weekend. Business picked up the day after Halloween on Sunday, which came in $2 million better than estimated. Still, the concert documentary is likely already front-loaded and its second weekend rpobably declines close to 50% at $11 million.
The Box [THBOX] is a story of moral quandary that doesn’t just feel like an extended episode of the Twilight Zone, it was an episode of the Twilight Zone. Directed by Richard Kelly [RKELL], the PG-13 rated horror film has been shuffled around by Warner Bros. like an unwanted offspring. New to the genre Cameron Diaz [CDIAZ] is unlikely to bring out much of an audience. Opening in 2635 theaters, The Box may be presented with just $7 million.
That’s the whisper from the trading floor.
Tag(s): CAROL, JCARR, RZEME, 4KIND, MJOVO, MGOAT, GCLOO, EMCGR, JACKO, THBOX, RKELL, CDIAZ