The Hunger Games might have lost its director this week, but, on the bright side, it’ll likely hold on to the top spot at the box office. The film followed up its stellar opening with a notably solid three-week run, and, a 45% drop and $18 million weekend four haul should give it just enough to edge out the newcomers.
Hitting just under 3,500 theaters, The Three Stooges should be the one to follow right behind, but the iconic comedy gig likely won’t attract enough newcomers, leaving The Three Stooges with just about $15 million, right in the middle of the gap between The Pink Panther and its sequel. While I’m dying for The Cabin in the Woods to pull in a truckload of cash, after the franchise-backed Scream 4 disappointed last year, it’s hard to imagine Cabin earning more than that, perhaps about $17 million. Last up for the new ones is Lockout and this one’s a little tougher to place. It’s only hitting about 2,300 theaters and targets a very specific audience, so its numbers will definitely be on the lower side, but it should perform a little better than films like 2010’s Repo Men and 2009’s Crank: High Voltage, letting it wrap weekend one with about $8 million.
After a solid start, but one that was somewhat overshadowed by The Hunger Games, American Reunion should hold on rather well, especially considering that many will likely consider The Three Stooges too juvenile for their tastes. Should American Reunion drop just 40%, it’ll snag about $12 million. As for Titanic 3D, after a rather weak beginning, it might take a tough 50% hit, leaving it with just $8 million and letting it sink down to the #6 spot.
Wrath of the Titans took quite the beating last weekend and will likely endure the same pain yet again. Should it take another 50% slashing, Wrath will wrap weekend three with only $7 million. As for Mirror Mirror, on the other hand, there’s really no reason to think it’ll take a steeper fall. It should follow up its 38.8% week one to two drop with a 40% one for weekend two to three, giving it another $6.5 million. 21 Jump Street should also continue its slow decline, perhaps losing 40% as well. Should that be the case, it’ll come in 9th with $6 million.
Making its final appearance on the top ten will be Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax in the 10th position, somewhat thanks to the fact that last week, there was a major gap between it and the next highest earner, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. Still, it has held on notably strong for its six weeks in theaters and, for its seventh, it’ll like only lose 40% of its profits, letting it take another $3 million to the bank.
Shockya.com Predictions
1. The Hunger Games
2. The Cabin in the Woods
3. The Three Stooges
4. American Reunion
5. Lockout
6. Titanic 3D
7. Wrath of the Titans
8. Mirror Mirror
9. 21 Jump Street
10. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax
By Perri Nemiroff (via Box Office Mojo)