Weekend Preview: March of the Giants

The arrival of the summer creeps earlier and earlier each year at the box office. Though the summer blockbuster season won't be officially begun until G.I. Joe: Retaliation comes out on the 29th, it is significant to recognize that Jack the Giant Slayer is the first $100+ million release of the year. Also vying for some of that early summer cash are nationwide releases 21 and Over from two of The Hangover's writers, The Last Exorcism Part II (because everyone agrees that a film with "last" in its name should get a sequel,) and submarine thriller Phantom, as well as Chan-wook Park's (Thirst, Oldboy) English-language debut: Stoker.

Jack should easily win the weekend, unless Beautiful Creatures' opening was a sign of some fantasy fatigue at the box office. Of all the new releases it boasts the most well known cast (Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Eddie Marsan, Ian McShane, and Warwick Davis), and should appeal to almost every demographic, unlike the other new releases. Exorcism and 21 and Over will probably both end up in the mid-teens for the weekend, due to targeting a narrower demographic range and having less than stellar marketing pushes. Phantom will come in third out of the new releases, but only because it's being released in around 2000 theaters. Expect this one to make a few million and then fade back into obscurity. Lastly, Stoker will be showing in seven theaters this weekend, so one million for the weekend would be very impressive. It should do some good business for a limited release if it gets good word-of-mouth coming out of it's opening weekend, but that may not be enough for it to score a nationwide release.

I'm planning to see Jack the Giant Slayer this weekend. What are you planning to see?

Tune in next time to see if James Franco in Oz: The Great and Powerful can magic his way to box office glory ahead of Dead Man Down.

March 2013 Preview!

Here is a quick look at the films I plan to see in March:

Jack the Giant Slayer (3/1/13)
Nicholas Hoult stars in this retelling of the classic fairytales about Jack, his magic beans, and the realm of the giants that he discovers. Hoult was dead impressive in his first big film of the year, so I wouldn't be surprised if we continue to see a lot of him.

Stoker (3/1/13)
Creepy family thriller/drama starring Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, and Nicole Kidman, possibly involving vampires? The trailer is definitely creepily interesting, so keep an eye on this one in case it reaches a theater near you.

Oz: The Great and Powerful (3/8/13)
I'm not much of a James Franco fan, but I am interested to see how director Sam Raimi and producer Joe Roth (who also produced 2010's Alice in Wonderland) portray L. Frank Baum's fantastical Land of Oz. Right now I would still give it a strong maybe, mostly because there's not much else to see this month.

Ginger & Rosa (3/8/13)
If you find yourself looking for a way to escape the beginning of the summer blockbuster season, this import from across the pond may be your ticket to freedom. Writer-Director Sally Potter tells the story of two inseparable friends (the titular Ginger and Rosa) and the experience of growing up in London during the 1960's. Starring Elle Fanning, Alice Englert (of Beautiful Creatures fame), Timothy Spall, and Annette Bening.

What film tops your to-see list for March?

Weekend Preview: The Episode Where the Majors Stay Home

I have a feeling that Hollywood doesn't have much confidence in the last weekend of February, since none of the major studios have any new releases lined up for this weekend. But are mid-majors Weinstein and Summit going to take full advantage of this opportunity? Of course not. Maybe they're all too preoccupied with this Sunday's little event.

Weinstein's Dark Skies and Summit's Snitch are the weekend's only new nationwide releases, but that hardly makes them candidates for the top spot at the box office. Why? Because odds are you've already seen these films. Not literally, I hope, but in the sense that there really doesn't seem to be anything unique about either of these films (in my opinion.) Dark Skies is a science fiction/horror thriller in which a family with young children encounters a possessing force (possibly aliens?) that terrorizes their home. In Snitch a father (Dwayne Johnson) makes a deal with the DEA in order to get his son released from prison by going undercover with a drug cartel.

So who do I think will win the weekend? Maybe A Good Day to Die Hard will take a second weekend at number one, or maybe Safe Haven will take the lead. It's even possible that Identity Thief might reclaim the top spot if last week's releases don't end up holding well.

Who do you think will win the weekend? Please share below! And if you end up seeing one of this weekend's new releases, let me know how it goes!

Tune in next time for a busy first weekend of March, in which nationwide releases 21 and Over, Jack the Giant Slayer, The Last Exorcism Part II, and Phantom (plus Stoker in limited release) battle for the box office crown!

Weekend Preview: Witches, Aliens, and Russians, Oh My!

Yes I intentionally omitted Safe Haven, the most recent Nicholas Sparks adaptation to grace its way into the theater, from my witty post title. The penultimate weekend of the month also happens to be the most crowded weekend of the month.

Witches (oops, I mean Casters...) of all ages are sure to appear en masse for the film adaptation of Beautiful Creatures, the first of Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's Caster Chronicles book series. There's another film revolving around evil witchcraft at the cinema this weekend, though those witches won't be on the screen. Watch out guys, tomorrow is Valentine's Day and Nicholas Sparks knows just how to hit us below the belt. This year's torture fest is titled Safe Haven, and I'll send some positive energy out into the universe in the hopes that your significant other won't be dragging you into this one. Hopefully s/he'll let you take advantage of Fox's clever counter programming ploy: A Good Day to Die Hard, aka Isn't John McClane a little too old to be saving the day?, aka Haven't you milked enough money out of this franchise?, aka Who do you think you are, Cameron? Lucas? If none of those films sound like a good way to spend two hours (and you are under the age of seven), then Weinstein has just the thing for you. It's called Escape from Planet Earth and I wouldn't be surprised if it is this year's Mars Needs Moms.

Leave a comment below to let me know whether or not you're skipping the theater this weekend.

Tune in next time for the least interesting pair up of the month, Dark Skies and Snitch.

Weekend Preview: Stealing Lives

Melissa McCarthy uses a credit card; Jude Law uses a pill. Both are trying to steal their costars' lives, though I'm pretty sure that Identity Thief will be a little funnier than Side Effects. And for the heck of it, why not add into the mix Charlie Sheen's limited release film with an excessively long title from Writer/Director Roman Coppola: A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III. And a last minute addition to the schedule, Top Gun 3D!

This weekend should have a clear winner, much like last weekend, with the crown going to Identity Thief. Even with the good will from Soderbergh's last film, I just don't see Side Effects pulling in a large enough crowd overcome Bateman and McCarthy. Tom Cruise's return to the skies should be the third highest grossing new release for the weekend, even though Cruise's star has faded a little now that we know how crazy he is. Anyway, Top Gun opened in 1986 to around $8 million. The 3D re-release won't have anywhere near that good of an opening weekend, but it could probably reach that amount by the end of its limited run. Lastly, Charles Swan should nab a million or so from the two theaters it is opening in.

Excited about any of this weekend's new releases? Share in the comments below!

Tune in next time for a Valentine's Day showdown between Beautiful Creatures, A Good Day to Die Hard, Safe Haven, and Escape from Planet Earth.