The big differences going into the weekend from the column earlier this week (actually yesterday) is that Julie Taymor's Across the Universe still isn't going nearly as wide as expected, expanding into 276 theatres after its impressive debut, while Richard Shepard's The Hunting Party, starring Richard Gere and Terrence Howard, will expand into 329 theatres on Friday. With fewer theatres than expected, Across the Universe should still end up in the Top 10, but possibly below The Bourne Ultimatum while The Hunting Party will end up with less than $1 million. (That is, if The Weinstein Company actually goes through with the expansion, unlike last week where they announced an expansion then cancelled it at the last minute.)
Screen Gems isn't releasing Resident Evil: Extinction into as many theatres as the last movie, but it should still end up around the same place as the previous movie, though more frontloaded towards the Friday and Thursday midnight screenings. Lionsgate is expanding the James Mangold Western 3:10 to Yuma even further, so expect it to give David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises and Amanda Bynes' Sydney White for their places in the Top 5.
1. Resident Evil: Extinction (Sony/Screen Gems) - $22.8 million N/A (down -.6 million)
2. Good Luck Chuck (Lionsgate) - $12.9 million N/A (up .3 million)
3. The Brave One (Warner Bros.) - $7.5 million -45% (no change)
4. Eastern Promises (Focus) - $6.5 million +1084% (up .4 million)
5. Sydney White (Universal) - $6.3 million N/A (down -.2)
6. 3:10 to Yuma (Lionsgate) - $6.0 million -33% (up .3)
7. Mr. Woodcock (New Line) - $4.8 million -44% (no change)
8. Superbad (Sony) - $3.2 million - 37% (down .1)
9. The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal) - $2.6 million - 37% (no change)
10. Across the Universe (Sony) - $2.4 million 423% (down .5 million)
