#1 movie predicted correctly: 0 Weeks in a Row
It's going to be an insanely close weekend at the top. I had Up taking the crown until the late breaking news came in that The Hangover is gaining 190 theaters. That was enough to swing the balance. If I get it right this weekend The Hangover will become the first movie since Tropic Thunder to three-peat.
Estimate: $24.3 million
I've got it at $7500 per theater, the number that
27 Dresses hit back in 2008. Of course the Heigl film was released in January, not June… but I think the reviews are going to catch up to the
Proposal, costing it 10% of its business – just enough to forfeit the crown.
I'll throw another random fact at ya: adjusted for inflation only one Sandra Bullock film has ever opened this well. That movie? Speed, which opened at $14.5m back in 1994. So while everyone knows Bullock… she's never been a huge draw.
Estimate: $22.9 million
Yep, I've got Up losing by a mere $100k. Which means that I won't really be able to trust the estimates on Sunday. Which means you can expect a ton of excuses unless the results are super definitive. Just warning you.
Estimate: $22.8 million
On the early commenter predictions from last Sunday Bustray had
Year One winning with $27.5m. JAB had
The Proposal taking it with a healthy $30m. Gophers Attack liked
The Proposal too, but at a lesser $28.8m. The only guy on my side? Shane-o-Mac with a lovely $25m call on
The Hangover. Anyone change their mind from last weekend to now? It's okay if you do, the ability to reason is the hallmark of a strong intellect.
Oh, and Year One is doomed. Just like Land of the Lost, but moreso.
Estimate: $16.2 million
What this weekend really adds up to is that the road is paved for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Very nice luck and/or scheduling by Paramount.
Estimate: $12.5 million
It sits at $323m on a budget of $150m. Does anyone know how international splits work? I know domestic deals generally favor the studios initially before sliding back to a theater advantage in weekends three and four. Is international a similar deal? Or worse for the studios because distribution is tougher overseas?
Estimate: $6.0 million
We can say Ferrell's box-office future is in trouble, right? Or is this just a continuation of his big hit followed by slight miss career?
Estimate: $3.9 million
As of press time theater counts hadn't been released for Star Trek. So I could end up a couple hundred thousand dollars off.
Estimate: $2.8 million
The bleeding has slowed, which is what happens as the overall dollar amounts get lower. It's still around $240m (worldwide cume) shy of T2's $520m. And that half a billion was in 1991. So, no, the news still isn't rosy.
Estimate: $2.2 million
I wish I could slot Brothers Bloom or Away We Go into tenth place. But they simply don't have enough theaters. See one of them this weekend to prove me wrong.
Estimate: $2.1 million
Your turn. Can Hangover three-peat? Am I underrating the rom-com and Sandra? Or can Up pull off a strange 4th weekend victory? Anyone want to stick their neck out to tout Year One? I leave it to you commenters, drop an egg of knowledge on me.