Box Office Predictions: 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' Could Open with $100 Million
"X-Men: Days of Future Past" is poised to win the box office over Memorial Day, beating out "Godzilla" and newcomer "Blended."
After a critically acclaimed 2011 reboot "X-Men: First Class," the franchise returns with a critically acclaimed sequel that looks to make over $100 million on its opening weekend. The new film reunites the original cast Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Halley Berry and Ellen Page with the 2011 cast which includes Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, and Jennifer Lawrence. Additionally Bryan Singer, who brought the series to life back in 2000, directed the film. The movie has generated a lot of buzz especially with fans, as they are excited to see the old cast return to their superhero roles as many were disappointed back in 2006 when Brett Ratner made "X3: Last Stand." While the 2006 film opened with $102 million during the Memorial Day weekend, the third installment was ultimately a letdown. Fox has been marketing "Days of Future Past" actively and will be opening the film in 3,996 theaters. The tentpole is likely to benefit from the strong reviews as it has a 92 percent aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes. Expect the comic book flick to have the best opening of the year thus far.
"Godzilla" is likely to have a 55 percent drop and make $50 million over the weekend. The monster movie has generated good word of mouth and has performed strongly throughout the week. It has already made $112 million and will likely end the weekend in the $160-$170 million range.
Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore return to the marketplace with "Blended." The movie has not generated a lot of attention and is likely to be hurt by scathing reviews. The film currently has a 14 percent aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes and critics have complained that the romantic comedy is very boring. Warner Bros is releasing it in 3,555 theaters and hopes to open it with $30 million. However the last time Sandler headlined a film that was neither an animated or sequel the results were not very good. Back in 2011 "Jack and Jill" made a disappointing $74 million while the 2012 comedy "That's My Boy" only brought in $36 million. Barrymore also has not generated a lot of attention these past years. Her 2012 starrer "Big Miracle" flopped with $20 million and her 2010 romantic comedy
"Going the Distance" made a meager $17 million in 3,030 theaters. However the last two times these two comedians united in a movie, they were successful. The 1998 hit "The Wedding Singer" made $80 million while the 2004 comedy "50 First Dates" made $120 million. It's been 10 years since their last comedy together and with their star waning, it will be interesting to see if they can make another successful movie at the box office.
"Neighbors" has not had the holding power that many expected but with college out and schools on break, the raunchy comedy is likely to make another $15 million. The movie has already made $97 million and has surpassed expectations. Expect the film to end the weekend with $120 million.
"The Amazing Spider-Man 2" will likely be hurt by the "X-Men" movie. Comic fans have not responded well to the sequel and it shows in the U.S. box office up to this point. The movie has made $176 million in its first three weekends and is trailing the original films. With Memorial Day ahead, the Sony franchise is likely to add another $12 million to its box office.
In art house cinemas, Roadside Attractions is opening "Words and Pictures in 10 theaters. The film stars Juliette Binoche and Clive Owen and it premiered at the Toronto Film festival. However, it has very little buzz and is marred by weak reviews. Additionally, Roadside Attractions has not really done a strong campaign for the movie and it is likely to leave theaters quickly after its release.
Meanwhile IFC Films is opening the critically acclaimed feature "Cold in July." The Sundance film that recently premiered at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard sidebar will unspool in 10 theaters and is also going to VOD.
A number of distributors will use the Memorial Day weekend to unveil their films in wide release and attempt to reach a greater audience. "The Railway Man" leads the films expanding nationwide. The Weinstein Company will bring the Colin Firth-Nicole Kidman starrer to 600 theaters. The move is interesting considering the underwhelming response and box office results. The movie has only $2.8 million over the past six weekends and has not been able to cross over into mainstream markets. It will be interesting to see if the expansion does any better for the movie.
The Weinstein Company will also expand "The immigrant" into 147 theaters. The Marion Cotillard starrer opened to disappointing results. However, with very good reviews and word of mouth, the drama is likely to generate a lot more business this upcoming weekend.
Fox Searchlight will also expand the period drama "Belle." After two weeks, the film has made $2 million and with an expansion into 451 theaters, the company is likely to continue having solid results.
"Chef" will also expand into 498 theaters. The Open Road Films title has done very solid business over the past two weeks and it is expected to be one of the surprise Indie films of the summer. The film boasts an all-star cast, which includes John Leguizamo, Robert Downey Jr., Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman and Jon Favreau. Expect the comedy to bring in at least $2 million over the weekend.
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