December 25, 2007

December 26, 2007

December 28, 2007

If Aliens vs. Predator were opening on the weekend, I'd say it should have no problem winning the weekend, but it's opening Christmas Day, which means everyone who wants to see it may have already seen it by the time the week is out. Still, it will compete with The Great Debaters for box office dominance. It's likely Aliens will still win, but you can't put anything past Denzel Washington when it comes to box office results.

December 19, 2007

December 21, 2007

With I Am Legend opening supremely strong, will National Treasure: Book of Secrets be the hit its predecessor was or will it succumb to second-place-debut-itis? It's hard to imagine Treasure not doing well, but I can't imagine I Am Legend falling too much (unless it wasn't as well liked as opening weekend numbers suggest). Walk Hard will open strong, but not enough to crack the top 2.

December 14, 2007

I Am Legend challenges Alvin and the Chipmunks for box office dominance. But The Perfect Holiday, part of a glut of African American-themed films to hit the box office, could be the spoiler. These films have proved a lucrative business when many high profile films have faltered. Alvin's the kind of film to pull decent numbers without being exceptional since we've seen many kids movies fall by the wayside. I Am Legend pairs the popularity of zombie/apocalyptic film with box office powerhouse Will Smith, which should put it at the top of the chart.

December 7, 2007

With Enchanted fading from week to week as most long-run releases do, THe Golden Compass will be number one and with all the controversy, it could be a massive opening north of $30 M or $40 M. Atonement opens wide but I doubt it will perform well since it's a period drama albeit with a literary pedigree.

November 28, 2007

November 30, 2007

It looks like Enchanted will spend another week at number one with only Awake to compete. The film won't likely even place in the top 5, but surprises can occur.

November 21, 2007

November 23, 2007

By the looks of this list, we'll have an unusual race for the weekend top spot. While Enchanted should be considered the contender, it's opening on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Hitman, another film likely to draw a large audience, opens on Friday. The big question will be whether Enchanted can hold onto its box office reins through the weekend after two days of off-work viewership or will Hitman use its muscle to pick up a weekend win. I think Enchanted will still top the box office. The films to watch out for are Frank Darabont/Stephen King horror flick The Mist and holiday film This Christmas.

November 16, 2007

There is simply no question that Beowulf will take the top spot. Ignore my assurance from last week that Fred Claus would top the box office. Apparently no one's ready for a holiday film before the holidays. This time, though, I think we have a sure bet. With no foreseeable competition and the comic book/fantasy fanboys clamoring for the film, it would be shocking if it didn't top the box office. Mr. Magorium may place second, but a lot will depend on whether this Toys facsimile will carry well with only Dustin Hoffman headlining.

November 9, 2007

There is no question that Fred Claus will be the top grosser of the weekend. Southland Tales moved again which leaves only the poorly-advertised P2 and the political Lions for Lambs as its competition. The question is will it open well enough to top American Gangster's second week. I have no doubt that it will.

November 2, 2007

Although Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington can probably bring American Gangster some box office gold, I'm giving the edge to Bee Movie, the first hyped animated film in several months. When many were dropping like flies, this apian may be able to make a hive at number one with nothing majorly new out for Kids to drag their parents to.

October 26, 2007

The battle this weekened will be between the fourth Saw film and the Steve Carell starrer Dan in Real Life. As the only two films opening wide, it's hard to guess which will top. On one hand you have Carell who's hot stuff, but as Evan Almighty proved, he's not the box office draw one might have expected. The trailer looks terrible and despite critics' reviews, it's hard to imagine the film doing well based on those two facts. Saw IV should continue the series' dominance of the Halloween market and continue to prove the horror polemic: strong opening weekend, quick fade.

October 19, 2007

This weekend is up in the air. Sure 30 Days of Night is graphic novel-based, but it's also grizzly and horror-like. Reservation Road and Rendition will battle Gone Baby Gone for the Oscar voter crowd. So, the big winner could be sports spoof The Comebacks. I don't know for sure one way or the other, so I'm guessing The Combacks but 30 Days could easily come out on top.

October 12, 2007

With Hitman out of the way until November, the battle for the top spot should be between Joaquin Phoenix and George Clooney. It's a toss up which will win, but with We Own the Night looking a lot like The Departed with Mark Wahlberg to boot, I'd give it the edge. Michael Clayton may do well on Clooney's name alone, but that won't be enough, I'm afraid.

October 5, 2007

With three new wide releases, it's hard to pick which one will soar to the top of the box office. All three have severely different audiences. The Farrelly Brothers have a checkered past. They've only had four films pass $50m and only two over $100m. What gives this film a chance is star Ben Stiller who can draw in an audience far better with twice as many films over the $50m level. Feel the Noise will have little comparative appeal. The only film that can give Heartbreak Kid a run for its money is family fantasy film The Seeker. I don't know which film will succeed, but I have to give the edge to Heartbreak.

September 28, 2007

The biggest competition this week will be between The Rock and Saudi Arabia. The Game Plan looks far more appealing to wide audiences, but the socio-political thriller The Kingdom could perform admirably well. The real test will be the performance of Lust, Caution which is hoping to come off its festival run a little more impressively with audiences despite its NC-17 rating. What's getting very little press lately is Darjeeling Limited which may still be able to build off the fame of Wes Anderson, but may be sunk because of the suicide attempt of one of its stars.

September 21, 2007

While I would say this looks like a slam-dunk week for Resident Evil: Extinction, Good Luck Chuck is getting good buzz and Sydney White may suck in the pre-teen crowd. It's going to be a tough week, but I give the edge to the third Resident Evil pic.

September 14, 2007

After this week's competition, I'm going to try something new. From now on, I'm letting advertising determine what film goes on top. For this week, I pick Mr. Woodcock if only for the fact that it's the only truly comic pic opening and I've seen far more about the film than the others advertising-wise. The Brave One has quite a bit of advertising, too, so it could place high and might even top Woodcock. Eastern Promises is too violent and its rating's probably going to sink it (especially once people realize it's the same guys who did A History of Violence. Across the Universe doing boffo biz would be wonderful, but I don't see it happening.

September 7, 2007

Bob Odenkirk managed a stellar debut with Evan Almighty earlier this year, but considering how the film flopped at the box office after its initial "sequel" factor wore off, will The Brothers Solomon succeed or flop? Gross out comedies haven't been doing great lately and Odenkirk's style is baffling at best. The real shootout will be between the unusual actioner Shoot 'Em Up and the western remake 3:10 to Yuma. Yuma's got Russell Crowe, but the genre hasn't really seen a resurgence and probably won't until Brad Pitt's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford releases. Shoot 'Em Up hasn't seen quite the advertising barrage many of its similarly-themed productions have. Shoot may plummet like Smokin' Aces or rise like Bourne Ultimatum, but I'm expecting a more modest opening that will compete heavily with Yuma for the top spot for a possible photo finish.

August 31, 2007

After a disappointing debut for last week's three films, the box office should see a large boost with Balls of Fury taking the top spot and Halloween performing well despite a slump in the horror market.

August 24, 2007

With the releases this week, I believe that Nanny Diaries will be battling War for the box office crown. Nanny has a far wider audience to appeal to and should manage to take the crown. The spoiler could be Mr. Bean's Holiday.

August 17, 2007

The contest between teen angst and remake suspense should result in an interesting race. Although I suspect a stronger showing for Superbad than otherwise might be expected, there could be a pull to the Nicole Kidman starrer The Invasion. When the final tallies are revealed, I think a $5 to $10 M difference is possible.

August 8, 2007

August 10, 2007

Rush Hour 3 should have little trouble topping Stardust this weekend, though it might be closer than we all think.

August 3, 2007

The supposed final Bourne film Bourne Ultimatum should top the box office, but how far above the second weekend of Simpsons will be interesting to see. Underdog could surprise with a strong opening weekend, but whether it can top Simpsons is hard to say. Hot Rod could prove popular, but it's very doubtful it will do much more than barely crack the Top 5.

July 27, 2007

The Simpsons Movie is the guaranteed box office topper for the week with little else in release that could even approach it. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will likely follow in second and third with No Reservations the possible spoiler.

July 20, 2007

This is a case of what we want and what will likely happen. Hairspray is being advertised strongly but so is I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. The two films will be battling for superiority in the race for top new release. Most of us want Hairspray to top yet another stereotyped-based comedy and beat out the strong-opener Adam Sandler.

July 11, 2007

July 13, 2007

The true test of the weekend will be how well Harry Potter 5 fares against the second weekend of Transformers. We know the boy wizard will top the box office. If it's by more than $80 M which it may be, then we'll have one of the summer's bigger blockbusters on our hands. If the Wednesday opening harms the film by taking away weekend audiences, we could see a slower roll out like Transformers.

July 3, 2007

July 4, 2007

July 6, 2007

Transformers will rule the box office this weekend taking at least $80 M for the weekend. That is IF the early July 3 (Tuesday) opening doesn't sap all of its business. If bad word of mouth hits and repeat business doesn't sail over the weekend, the film could sink below that mark. However, its cume by the end of the weekend should easily be over $100 M with all the sneaks and showings that started Monday. License to Wed isn't going to perform well thanks to Robin Williams' decreasing box office clout. It is likely to place fourth for the week behind Transformers, Ratatouille and Live Free or Die Hard. The film could place ahead of Die Hard but hopes aren't high.

June 27, 2007

June 29, 2007

John McClane is back in the fourth entry in the Die Hard series. Opening two days ahead of Ratatouille will pretty much guarantee a win for the latest Pixar computer-animated film. Live Free or Die Hard could easily pose a challenge but those two days will be key.

June 22, 2007

Evan Almighty is going to be the undisputed king of the box office performing better than Fantastic Four in its second week. The rest of the films are likely not to have much effect and only Captivity and 1408 will likely even pierce the Top 10. 1408 may prove a bigger success than expected because of its originality, but the fact that critics have actually already weighed in and favorably at that, this could be a huge hit.

June 15, 2007

There is certianly no question that Fantastic Four is going to top the box office. All of its competition is fading fast. Nothing else opening will even come close. Nancy Drew could surprise us and chart more highly than the more-hyped Surf's Up last week.

June 8, 2007

A slew of tastebuds should be tantalized this coming weekend with three films set to compete for differing aspects of the filmgoing community. Ocean's 13 is the first adult-oriented film of the Summer, which should entice a larger share of the audience. Hostel: Part II must see if it can build on its predecessor's buzz. Surf's Up goes after the fading Shrek the Third audience. Hostel looks like a non-starter, but expect a fierce battle between Surf and Ocean with the third film in the Ocean's series taking the top spot with Surf a close second and a likely strong second-week finish for Knocked Up at third.

June 1, 2007

It's going to be an interesting weekend. Will both Shrek 3 and Pirates 3 keep the top spots and Spider-Man 3 yield its third place position to Knocked Up and Mr. Brooks? Will either falter in opening or will one of them manage to unseat Shrek 3 from position 2. We'll have to see. It's safe to say Pirates 3 should keep the top spot a second week.

May 25, 2007

With Spider-Man 3 finally winding down, Shrek the Third and Pirates of the Caribbean 3 will be fighting it out for audiences. Pirates will easily win the weekend, but will the increased competition keep it from surpassing the record Spider-Man 3 took from its predcessor? Who knows, but it sould be an intriguing fight.

May 18, 2007

Shrek the Third will be topping the box office, but by how much? Spider-Man 3's saturation has already reached its zenith and Shrek appeals to a much younger demographic. It should open in the range of Spider-Man 3, but whether it passes or not will remain to be seen.

May 11, 2007

None of this week's wide openers will top Spider-Man 3, 28 Weeks Later is the most likely to win with Delta Farce coming in right behind and Georgia Rule a distant fourth.

May 2, 2007

May 4, 2007

After several weeks of disappointing openings, the first major hit of the summer opens Friday (special sneaks at Thursday midnight). There is absolutely no question this week that Spider-Man 3will so dominate everything else, that there will be at least a $80 M difference between it and the next film down.

April 27, 2007

There's no question a new film will take the top spot this weekend. Will it be the Nicolas Cage sci-fi thriller or the supernatural mystery thriller. Big name often beats out no-name, so expect Next to top the chart followed somewhat closely by The Invisible. The Condemned could surprise with its sensational theme.

April 20, 2007

It's hard to know which film is going to take this week's top spot. All three wide release films have a decent shot at winning the weekend. Vacancy is a different style horror film than many recent entries, Hot Fuzz hasShaun of the Dead vibes (could be because it's by the same people) and Fracture has Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling. I think Hot Fuzz will just barely eek out a win over the others, but the totals for the weekend won't be extremely high.

April 13, 2007

After a disappointing series of debuts last week, optimism isn't high for Disturbia, Pathfinder or Perfect Stranger. Halle Berry may finally sell the box office with her presence in Stranger, but my bet goes to Disturbia which is a teenager-targeted thriller for those who don't remember Rear Window. Pathfinder could surprise and pull in 300-style audiences.

April 4, 2007

April 5, 2007

April 6, 2007

Three films will compete this week for the number one position at the box office. Are We Done Yet?, The Reaping and Grindhouse all have built-in audiences. Grindhouse is the most likely to win. Are We Done Yet? has such a niche audience that it isn't likely going to be able to compete with the more broad appeal of Grindhouse or horror film The Reaping and might even come in below last week's number one Blades of Glory when final totals are revealed. Even The Reaping may have topping Blades.

March 30, 2007

This weekend, we'll have a showdown between comedy Blades of Glory and animated Meet the Robinsons. I give the edge to Blades for its sheer potency with adult audiences where as Robinsons will appeal to a much narrower demographic.

March 23, 2007

300 lost enough steam this past weekend to make it likely that two of this week's new films will likely top it at the box office. The Last Mimzy competes with kids' audiences with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. What will propel TMNT above Mimzy is that TMNT is comic book-based and has legions of fans despite a late-80s fad that burned many out on their antics.

March 16, 2007

I expect the Sandra Bullock starrer Premonition to top the Chucky/Puppet Master rip off Dead Silence at the box office, but the question is will it be able to stave off an attack by the holding 300...my guess is no and we'll see 300 at the top again next week.

March 9, 2007

The only film in this week's list that feels like a winner is 300, which is very likely to top the chart on the reputation of the source material and the artistry of its trailer.

February 28, 2007

March 2, 2007

With Ghost Rider sitting pretty at the box office, it will take four comedians to topple it when Martin Lawrence, John Travolta, Tim Allen and William H. Macy debut their film Wild Hogs which should have no trouble topping the box office. Serial killer thriller Zodiac could play spoiler, but its chances are limited.

February 23, 2007

The Number 23 has been getting most of the advertising but Reno 911 will appeal to a broader audience. The Astronaut Farmer and Black Snake Moan could each be contenders for the top box office spot. But it should be a tight race between the nubmered films 23 and 911.

February 14, 2007

February 16, 2007

With Music and Lyrics debuting mid-week, its weekend totals will likely be under the weekend's other two major debuts. I'm giving the slight edge to comic book film Ghost Rider which should be able to eke out a win over the more family friendly Bridge to Terabitihia. The battle will be tough and the results should be close.

February 9, 2007

My money's on Eddie Murphy taking the top spot this coming weekend with his Nutty Professor-style comedy Norbit. Hannibal Rising, the origin story of legendary cannibal Hannibal Lecter could pose a threat with horror audiences looking for a decent revisiting of the subject.

February 2, 2007

This week, the question will be: Horror or Chick Flick? Because I Said So should easily top the chart after a year of weak debuts for horror films. THe Messengers could surprise but its low wattage cast won't sell tickets. Jet Li's film Rogue could make a surprise showing but with his Fearless failing to spark at the box office, I wouldn't count on it.

January 26, 2007

No commentary due to power outage at time of release.

January 19, 2007

No commentary due to power outage at time of release.

The big question this week is whether Alpha Dog can make an impact in the number one spot on the name of Justin Timberlake alone. His star power is certainly evident in the music world but is it with film? We'll see as his film debuts next weekend. It appears that Freedom Writers was bumped up a week while last week's supposed debut of Hostel II was pushed back to June. With Happily N'Ever After's terrible debut last week, hopes are not high for this week's debut of Arthur and the Invisibles. While the former film had nothing noted for vocal talents, Arthur features David Bowie and Madonna. Will it be the Labyrinth of 2007 or another dud?

January 5, 2007

No commentary due to power outage at time of release.