The box office gets hit with a double whammy this weekend. Not only will the Super Bowl on Sunday divert the attention of moviegoing audiences, nearly half the country is buried under snow from severe winter weather. Two new films will try to appeal to those not interested in football or wishing for an escape.
Sony Screen Gems targets teens and young adults with the PG-13 rated thriller The Roommate [RMATE]. Friday Night Light’s Minka Kelly [MKELL] and Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester [LMEES] lend recognizable starpower to the familiar Single White Female story about a female stalker who turns deadly. Invading 2534 theaters, The Roommate could take away $15 million.
James Cameron brings his name and expertise to the spelunking thriller Sanctum [JCSNC]. The R-rated film set in underwater caves was shot using the same 3D camera system as Avatar. Without any box office draw in its cast, Universal’s marketing has focused on the 3D imagery as its main selling point, aside from Cameron. Competing against football on Sunday, Sanctum may settle for around $11 million from 2789 theaters.
The female-targeted No Strings Attached [NSATA] should not be affected much by the Super Bowl. A 40% decline would net another $8 million.
Last weekend’s leader, The Rite [TRITE] is headed for the typical hard fall for horror films. A drop more than 50% would bring in around $7 million
With a male-dominated audience tuning in to football, The Mechanic [MCHNC] looks to dive more than 50% to about $5 million in its second session.
That’s the whisper from the trading floor.
Tag(s): RMATE, MKELL, LMEES, JCSNC, NSATA, TRITE, MCHNC