SPIN FACTOR^® - The HSX Blog

Four new contenders enter the late August box office frame looking to claim the top spot, but it’s a sleeper hit that’s likely to prevail in first place. The period drama The Help [THELP] outperformed expectations in its debut and has generated tremendously positive word of mouth, not to mention year-end awards consideration. Its older target audience should help The Help hold at least 70% from its opening weekend and earn another $19 million, which should be enough to fend off the new...

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Sony has released the teaser trailer for the fourth film in their fantasy franchise Underworld: Awakening [UNDW4]. After skipping the third film Underworld: Rise of the Lycans which was a prequel, Kate Beckinsale [KBECK] returns as Selene, who escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species.

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Millennium Entertainment has revealed the trailer for the home invasion robbery thriller Trespass [TRESP] from the director of Phone Booth and Falling Down, which were released in 2002 and 1993.  That's how far back since Joel Schumacher [JSCHU] made a good movie. Nicolas Cage [NCAGE] and Nicole Kidman [NKIDM] star as a couple whose home is taken over by a gang of robbers, led by Cam Gigandet [CGIGA].  The film treads the same familiar territory as Hostage, Panic Room and The Strangers. ...

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CBS Films has debuted the domestic teaser trailer for the period thriller The Woman in Black [WMBLK].  Daniel Radcliffe [DRADC] stars as a young lawyer who goes to the countryside to take care of a deceased client's estate.   He encounters the mysterious apparition of a woman dressed in black and uncovers a tragic secret.  A remake of a 1989 TV movie, The Woman in Black looks to have the potential to capture the atmospheric spooks of  The Others.

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Relativity has unleashed another trailer for the Greek mythological fantasy epic Immortals [IMRTL], which appears to have taken many liberties, I mean inspiration, from the Playstation game series 'God of War'.  In fact, the film was previous titled War of Gods.  Future Superman Henry Cavill [HCAVI] stars as Theseus, who is chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the army led by the evil King Hyperion, played by Mickey Rourke [MROUR].  While an improvement over previous trailers, the film's...

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Conquering the weekend box office for a second weekend in a row, Rise of the Planet of the Apes [RSAPE] earned $27.5 million.  The franchise reboot declineb 50% in bringing its cumulative total to $104.9 million.

The Help [THELP] finished second with $25.5 million, and $35.4 million since opening on Wednesday.  The period drama based on a bestseller connected with its target demo of older women as 72% was female and 60% of the audience was over the age 35. Great word of mouth should...

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Paramount has dropped a new trailer for the remake Footloose [FTLOS] that has something that was missing from the first teaser: the musical beats to the actual song "Footloose". According to EW, Blake Shelton will be covering the classic track originally sung by Kenny Loggins.

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With all the big summer blockbuster films out of the way, four moderate wide releases will try to make their mark. Rise of the Planet of the Apes [RSAPE] should be able to hold them off and retain the top spot for a second weekend. Even with positive word of mouth, the sci-fi film is likely to drop more than 50% to $27 million.

New Line’s horror sequel Final Destination 5 [FDES5] looks to fare best amongst the newcomers. The previous installment and the first in 3D, The Final...

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Warner Bros. has unleashed the teaser trailer for the third film in the pot comedy series  A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas [HAKU3].  John Cho [JCHO] and Kal Penn [KPENN] return along with Neil Patrick Harris [NPHAR] to blaze the yuletide holiday with every 3D gimmick imaginable. 

If you're interested in the story, here's the actual synopsis:

After years of growing apart, Harold Lee and Kumar Patel have replaced each other with new friends and are preparing for their respective...

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Disney has unveiled the official teaser for the modern fable The Odd Life of Timothy Green [OLOTG].  Jennifer Garner [JEGAR] and Joel Edgerton [JEDGE] star as a happy young couple who desperately want a child but are unable to conceive.  They buries all their desires for a baby in a box in their backyard.  The next day, they wake up to find that a grown child at their doorstep with all the attributes they wished for. You will have to wait a whole year to see The Odd Life of Timothy Green...