THIS WEEKEND With one more session before Hollywood says good-bye to summer with the Labor Day frame, three new releases get tossed into North American multiplexes during a time of year when studios are known to quietly dispose of films on their slate that they have little confidence in. Sony releases the bike messenger thriller Premium Rush, Open Road counters with its action-comedy Hit & Run, and Warner Bros. offers horror fans The Apparition. Those not interested in any of these options should give holdovers some extra business.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt will pull a double shift in the top ten this weekend with the co-star of The Dark Knight Rises anchoring a new film solo with Premium Rush. The PG-13 pic should play to a moderate-size crowd although no big turnout is expected. Still, the talented young actor has been
steadily building his brand with his acclaimed turn in the cancer comedy 50/50 and his roles in Christopher Nolan's last two summer blockbusters Inception and Rises. There are some who would consider a JGL-led pic now, plus his sex appeal with females has only gotten stronger. Reviews for Rush have been good which will certainly help it appeal to young adults who frequent moviegoers and have seen everything else that is worthwhile. Reaching number one seems unlikely, but the Sony release could make a play for either the silver or bronze. Riding into around 2,100 theaters, Premium Rush could open to about $9M.
Kristen Bell, Dax Shephard and Bradley Cooper star in the action-comedy Hit & Run about a couple on the run from a thug. The R-rated film features Cooper in a supporting role so don't expect his Hangover muscle to add much to the box office here. Reviews have been mixed, although many of the more influential critics have given good marks. A Wednesday bow allowed for a headstart over the weekend's new competition and Open Road Films is hoping that early audiences will like it enough to drive recommendations by the time most others are available to go to the multiplexes. But Hit has no overall urgency so appeal should be limited. Once Canada opens on Friday, Hit & Run will be in 2,870 domestic theaters this weekend and a three-day gross of $7M could result with $8M collected over five days.
Dumped into the abyss known as the end of August, the supernatural thriller The Apparition hopes to spook up a few coins before floating over to home video platforms later this year where it should find the bulk of its audience. The PG-13 haunted house film will benefit from a lack of competition since there are no other scary options out there. But nothing much new is being brought to the table here and the marketing push has been soft. A decade ago, Warner Bros. could rely on the Dark Castle brand to deliver solid mid-teen openings every Halloween. That was before Saw and then Paranormal Activity took over the holiday. Now, this leftover Apparition gets tossed into theaters at a time when horror films can actually do good business. But the limited national release will cut back on potential and another fright film opening next week will limit any chance of legs. Opening in roughly 800 theaters, The Apparition might bow to about $3-4M.
Like its predecessor, Stallone's testosterone flick The Expendables 2 will spend back-to-back frames on top. None of the new releases looks powerful enough to unseat the gun-totting dream team and buzz is pretty good from fans. A 55% decline could result giving Lionsgate about $13M and a ten-day take of $52M. Rival action sequel The Bourne Legacy may slide by 45% to around $9M for a cume of $86M overall.
The lack of quality kidpics should help the animated film ParaNorman. A 40% drop may occur putting the Focus release at $8.5M for the frame and $28M after ten days. Look for Will Ferrell's election comedy The Campaign to fall by 40% to roughly $8M giving Warner Bros. $65M to date.
