Another 3D film is poised to claim the number one spot at the box office with the arrival of Resident Evil: Afterlife [RESE4]. Sony Screen Gems hopes 3D will breathe new life into the action horror franchise as well as the zombie genre as a whole. The original 2002 film adapted from the videogame series reignited the current zombie movie craze. Milla Jovovich [MJOVO] reprises the heroine role of Alice as well as her new clones. The previous two sequels opened above $23 million. With its native 3D effects (and higher ticket prices), Afterlife should be able to shrug off audience fatigue that plagued other films. Blasting its way into 3203 theaters, Resident Evil: Afterlife could hit a franchise high score of $26 million.
The American [THEAM] proved more popular than the Mexican Machete [MCHTE] last weekend. While older moviegoers usually keep dramas afloat in its second weekend, terrible word of mouth may steer audiences away from The American for a quick dip to $7 million.
For its third weekend of release, Takers [TAKER] should grab another $5.5 million and remain in the top three.
Even with its timely topic, Robert Rodriguez’s [RRODR] Machete did not perform any better than 2007’s Grindhouse. Machete looks to quickly dull 55% in its second outing to $5 million.
Getting moviegoers to watch Going the Distance [GDIST] turned out to be as tough as having a real-life long-distance relationship. The romantic comedy should claim the fifth spot with $4 million.
That’s the whisper from the trading floor.
Tag(s): RESE4, MJOVO, THEAM, MCHTE, TAKER, RRODR, GDIST