Two of Hollywood’s mainstay storylines match up this weekend at the box office: the high-concept romantic comedy Life As We Know It [LAWKI] against the inspirational sports drama Secretariat [SCTRT]. Katherine Heigl [KHEIG] and Josh Duhamel [JDUHA] are the main draw for the Warner Bros. film about two people who hate each other, but end up together to raise their dead friends’ baby under one roof. The PG-13 rated film looks to have the highest appeal among teenagers and the date crowd. Despite its clunky title, Life As We Know It should win a close race with about $15 million from 3150 theaters.
Disney has had success with underdog sports stories like Miracle and The Rookie. Triple Crown winning thoroughbred Secretariat had a female owner, played by Diane Lane [DLANE], who went up against the male-dominated racing establishment. Disney’s marketing campaign has mainly focused on the owner, rather than on the horse and the racing sport. As a result, the PG-rated film may have limited its appeal to just older women. Starting off in 3052 theaters, Secretariat may settle for the show spot at $14 million.
Not as many moviegoers join The Social Network [SOCIL] as had been expect during its first weekend. However, The Social Network should grow from its excellent word of mouth and add around $13 million.
My Soul to Take [MYSOL] is the latest horror film jumping on the 3D gimmick. Although the R-rated film is directed by Wes Craven [WCRAV], the generic story does not offer anything new to the genre. My Soul to Take could scare up $10 million from 2572 locations.
Rather than go with a limited expansion strategy, Focus Features believes the comedy It’s Kind of a Funny Story [KNDFS] is strong enough to open wide on 742 screens. Zach Galifianakis [ZGALI] tests his starpower and could draw about $5 million.
That’s the whisper from the trading floor.
Tag(s): LAWKI, SCTRT, KHEIG, JDUHA, DLANE, SOCIL, MYSOL, WCRAV, KNDFS, ZGALI