Three movies about society's unglamorous positions (bounty hunter, repo men, and middle school kid) look to put a dent in the earning powers of the high-flying Alice in Wonderland [ALCNW]. Most films with $100 million+ openings tend to fall dramatically in its second weekend, but Alice held up better than expected on the appeal of its 3D spectacle. With the next 3D fare not appearing until next weekend, the re-imagined fantasy classic should lock up the box office title for a third time at around $34 million.
The PG-rated Diary of a Wimpy Kid [WIMPY] is based on the popular children’s book series by Jeff Kinney. The Fox film taps into every middle school kid’s belief that he/she is smarter than everyone else, including adults. While the family comedy may not attract those older than the target demographic, Wimpy Kid could bring out its sizable fanbase to deliver about $20 million from 3077 theaters.
Gerard Butler [GBUTL] stars as The Bounty Hunter [BOUNT] who is out to catch his bail-jumping ex-wife, played by Jennifer Aniston [JANIS]. With a formulaic storyline that has drawn poor reveiws, the romantic action comedy hopes to bank on the starpower and the on-screen chemistry of its two attractive leads. In an obvious stunt to generate publicity, the two are even rumored to be romantically involved. Opening in 3074 theaters, the PG-13 rated film could capture $19 million.
Jude Law [JLAW] and Forest Whitaker [FWHIT] are Repo Men [REPOS], who forcefully repossess mechanical organs from people late on their payments. With its emphasis on graphic violence and gore, Universal’s R-rated sci-fi thriller is likely to attract predominantly males. Repo Men could bring in roughly $13 million from 2522 locations. Meanwhile, Universal’s sophomore film Green Zone [GREZN] is likely to drop 50% to $7 million.
After four weeks of limited release, Summit expands The Ghost Writer [TGHST] wide into 819 theaters. The Roman Polanski [RPOLA] directed thriller could generate another $3 million
That’s the whisper from the trading floor.
Tag(s): ALCNW, WIMPY, GBUTL, BOUNT, JANIS, JLAW, FWHIT, REPOS, GREZN, TGHST, RPOLA