One of Hollywood’s most popular western ever, The Magnificent Seven [MAGN7] gets a modern remake from Sony and MGM. Denzel Washington [DWASH] leads a multi-cultural cast that’s sure to appeal to the multi-cultural make-up of moviegoers today. Washington hasn’t been on screen since The Equalizer opened to $34.1 million two years ago. His fans are eager for his return as advance ticket sales for the PG-13 rated western are pacing ahead of the R-rated The Equalizer. An old-fashioned western may be a harder sell with those under 25, but rising star Chris Pratt [CPRAT] should help bring out millennials wean on comic superheroes. If good word of mouth spreads, Hotel Translyvania 2's record-setting $48.5 million last year could be in play. Circling 3674 theaters, The Magnificent Seven could ride away with $46 million.
Warner Bros. continue to build up its animation offering with Storks [STORK] featuring a voice cast led by Jennifer Aniston [JANIS] and Andy Samberg [ASAMB]. The PG-rated Storks is actually produced by Sony ImageWorks of the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Hotel Transylvania films. Advance ticket sales are behind those films, but ahead of Mr. Peabody and Sherman, which opened $32.2 million. Flying into 3922 theaters, Storks may deliver $34 million.
Sully [SULLY] should continue its strong hold for a third weekend total around $12 million.
12 years proved to be too long a wait for Bridget Jones’s Baby [BJON3]. Older women should keep the romantic comedy sequel from dropping more than 45% to $5 million during its second outing.
Snowden [SNWDN] may be able to hold slightly better than 50% of its debut for another $4.5 million.
Moviegoers weren’t as nostalgic for Blair Witch [WOODS] as Lionsgate thought. The horror sequel is likely to tumble 60% to under $4 million.
That’s the whisper on the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): MAGN7, DWASH, CPRAT, STORK, JANIS, ASAMB, SULLY, BJON3, SNWDN, WOODS