April 2013 Preview!

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

Jurassic Park 3D (4/5/13)
This is just one of those films that you have to see every chance you get, in my opinion. And considering that the last time it was in theaters was 1993, I'm very excited to see this on the big screen for the first time.

Trance (4/5/13)
James McAvoy stars in Danny Boyle's hypno-crime drama. It's getting a limited release from Fox Searchlight... hopefully they'll give it a decent expansion.

To the Wonder (4/12/13)
Terrence Malick's follow up to The Tree of Life. That's enough to get me interested. Plus, it stars Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem, and Rachel McAdams.

Oblivion (4/12/13)
Post-apocalyptic science fiction is right up my alley, even if it happens to star Tom Cruise. Morgan Freeman should make up for Cruise's bad acting (hopefully).

Are you going to head out to the theater this month or are you saving your movie money for the super crowded summer months? Leave a comment and let me know!

Weekend Preview: Cobra Strikes

The last weekend of March is definitely going to be a busy one. After being pushed back from its original June 2012 release for reshoots and a 3D conversion, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is finally making it to theaters on Thursday. Opening in wide release on Friday are Stephenie Meyer's The Host and Tyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor. In limited release, Ryan Gosling will ride into four theaters this weekend in the epic crime drama The Place Beyond the Pines.

I think it's a safe bet to say that Retaliation will be the highest grossing film this weekend. Back in 2009, Hasbro's first film in this franchise, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra battled its way to first place with an opening weekend of $54.7 million. Considering that film's terrible reviews and the controversy around Retaliation's pushed back release date, I think it will have a hard time matching its predecessor's opening weekend gross. However, it may profit from opening on Thursday and the expansion of Channing Tatum's role in the film, so a four-day opening weekend gross around $50 million is possible.

If The Host performs similarly to other recent young adult novel adaptations, it will either be a major disappointment like City of Ember ($3 million opening weekend), Beautiful Creatures ($7.5 million opening weekend), and I Am Number Four ($19 million opening weekend), or it will make an obscene amount of money a la the Hunger Games, Twilight, and Harry Potter franchises. I doubt it will fall on either extreme of the spectrum, though Meyers' fans will definitely be a major factor of its potential success. My prediction is that Meyers' aliens will possess second place with an opening weekend around $30 million. Lastly, Temptation is probably going to have a hard time reaching much of an audience this weekend. Historically, Tyler Perry's most successful films are his comedies about Madea. Since this is neither a comedy nor about Madea, I expect it to land on the lower end of Perry's opening weekends. Tyler Perry's Good Deeds opened to $15.5 million in February 2012, and that is a safe bet for Temptation's opening weekend.

With Ryan Gosling's recent announcement of his intent to take a break from acting, The Place Beyond the Pines is easily the highest profile limited release for this weekend. The film is currently rated as 86% 75% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, so it shouldn't have much trouble drawing in a large enough audience for an opening weekend around $250,000.

Excited about G.I. Joe's return to the big screen? Or do you prefer ambitious crime dramas? I'll definitely be at the movies this weekend, though I probably won't actually get to see any of the new releases...

Tune in next weekend to find out if Sam Raimi's horror remake Evil Dead will be any match for Jurassic Park 3D.

Weekend Preview: The Wizard Must Fall

Oz is definitely going to lose the throne this weekend, but the million dollar question is: to whom? This weekend's three new nationwide releases are each vying for a different segment of Oz's audience. For the families there is The Croods, for those looking for some laughs there is Tina Fey's Admission, and for those looking for some thrilling action there is Gerard Butler's Olympus Has Fallen. Two films previously in limited release are expanding this weekend: last weekend's Spring Breakers will spread the party into around 1000 theaters, while last December's Kristen Stewart vehicle On the Road will hit the highway out to 37 theaters.

Though it doesn't sound likely for Oz to give up first place to another family oriented movie, I think that the fact that it is only the second animated film of the year will push Fox's The Croods ahead of the rest of the pack. Back in 2002 Fox released a somewhat similar film called Ice Age to an opening weekend of $46 million. I doubt The Croods will replicate that gross, but an opening close to $40 million would definitely be a win for Fox. Admission and Olympus Has Fallen are a little more difficult to predict. Both could easily reach the mid-$20's unless they don't hold well through the weekend. I would predict Olympus to have the higher gross though, due to a more effective marketing campaign.

Spring Breakers is going to be another wildcard at the box office this weekend. James Franco's crime drama made $263,002 last weekend in only three theaters, for an impressive per theater average of $87,667. (For comparison, Oz had a per theater average of $10,545 last weekend.) If Spring Breakers is able to hold onto a fourth of its opening weekend per theater average, it will be set for a weekend gross around $20 million.

The other film set to expand this weekend is On the Road, last year's adaptation of Jack Kerouac's novel of the same name. The film has already made $154,250, so a gross around half a million for this weekend would definitely make the film's producers feel better about the $25 million they spent making it.

My choice to see this weekend is definitely Olympus Has Fallen. What's yours? Who do you think will win the box office?

Tune in next week for the showdown of the long-awaited G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Stephenie Meyer's The Host, and Tyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor.

Weekend Preview: They're Called Illusions

Halle Berry and Steve Carell invade the box office this weekend in The Call and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, but it is going to take some serious magic to dethrone last weekend's winner: Oz The Great and Powerful. In limited release, James Franco's Spring Breakers might rob some dough before its nationwide expansion, while Kristen Dunst and Jim Sturgess look for love in fantasy romance Upside Down.

With Oz likely to continue his reign over the box office, it's unlikely for this weekend's new releases to make much of a splash. Burt Wonderstone would be lucky to earn $20 million from 3160 theaters, though an opening weekend in the mid-teen millions is more on par with Carell's recent box office ventures. In 2507 theaters, The Call will have an even more difficult time finding an audience. Other than her appearances in the original X-Men trilogy, only two of Halle Berry's films released thus far in the 21st century have opened above $20 million: 2005's Robots ($36 million) and 2002's Die Another Day ($47 million). And so I think it is a safe bet to predict an opening weekend below $10 million for The Call.

With mixed reviews coming out of SXSW, Spring Breakers begins its theatrical run in three theaters, though is set to expand next weekend to around 600 theaters. The film may be able to reach half a million this weekend, but only if it finds a way to get those celebrating spring break into the theaters. Upside Down is probably the most difficult prediction to make for this weekend. Romance films historically do well during the first part of the year, but the science fiction-fantasy elements may make this a harder sell. And while both Sturgess and Dunst have enjoyed recent critical successes, neither have had many box office successes outside of Dunst's appearances in the original Spider-Man trilogy. Add in the fact that the film is only opening in eleven theaters, and its opening weekend looks quite bleak. I would be surprised if it makes over a quarter of a million.

Are you going to give this weekend's new fare a chance, or are you still trapped in Oz? Leave a comment below to let me know what you plan to see this weekend!

Tune in next weekend to see if Tina Fey's Admission will school The Croods, or if Gerard Butler will save the day in Olympus Has Fallen.

Weekend Preview: The Return to Oz

L. Frank Baum's magical Land of Oz returns to the big screen this weekend in Disney's Oz: The Great and Powerful. Also causing a bang this weekend is Dead Man Down, the reunion of Noomi Rapace and Niels Arden Oplev, who directed her stunning performance as Lisbeth in Män som hatar kvinnor (aka the Swedish The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.)

There should be no contest this weekend with Oz easily taking first place, considering Disney's impressive marketing campaign, very good brand recognition, and the relative lack of other new releases. Oz should also easily beat Identity Thief's $34 million opening weekend, giving it the highest opening weekend of the year so far.

In contrast, Dead Man Down has neither the marketing strength of a large studio like Disney behind it, nor Oz's brand recognition. Even with stars Rapace and Colin Farrell, Oplev's action thriller will be lucky to open above $10 million.

Are you ready to journey back to Oz, or does the yellow brick road lead somewhere else for you? Share your weekend movie plans below!

Tune in next time to see Halle Berry's The Call or Steve Carell's The Incredible Burt Wonderstone can steal the box office crown from Oz.