It’s going to be a close one at the box-office this weekend as Fox’s low-budget telekenisis feature Chronicle holds a slight lead over Daniel Radcliffe in his first post-Harry Potter feature, The Woman in Black. And even more interesting is the fact both films are beating expectation. Let’s see if we can figure out which one will end up on top on Sunday.
To begin, Chronicle pulled in $8.6 million on Friday along with a B CinemaScore from audiences. This is well above tracking and Laremy’s prediction of $15.4 million for the three-day is obviously low at this point as the film could bump up against $20 million or more. Considering it was made on a budget somewhere in the $13 million range that makes the folks at Fox very happy.
Equally happy are the CBS Films execs as they have a legitimate shot at the #1 spot as well with The Woman in Black, a film they acquired for only $3 million last May. Black took in $8.3 million with a B- CinemaScore from audiences and could also see a result around $20 million, though the big question will be how the film’s will stack up on Sunday once the Super Bowl kicks off.
If I was to take a stab in the dark I would say Chronicle may be hurt a little more by the Super Bowl as it seems like a film targeting a younger male demographic that would be more likely to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday, but there’s nothing scientific in my assumption as far as that goes. The CinemaScores are relatively the same, though once you hit B- and lower it doesn’t necessarily bode well for your longevity.
In third is last weekend’s number one, The Grey is one example of what a B- CinemaScore can mean is it took in only $3 million on Friday and can now only hope for $9 million for the weekend, a 54% drop should it be able to hit that number, though I would guess $8 million or potentially even less is more likely.
The weekend’s other new wide release is Big Miracle starring Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski, which took in only $2.3 million, though can at least say those that attended enjoyed it as it earned an A- CinemaScore. That, however, won’t translate into much money as an $8 million weekend is now likely.
I have included Friday’s top ten directly below and will be back on Sunday morning with a complete wrap-up. Take a look at the numbers and tell me what you think. Who have you got, Chronicle or Woman in Black taking the #1 spot? Weigh in in the comments below.
- Chronicle – $8.6 million
- The Woman in Black – $8.3 million
- The Grey – $3 million
- Big Miracle – $2.3 million
- One for the Money – $1.73 million
- Underworld Awakening – $1.7 million
- Man on a Ledge – $1.503 million
- Red Tails – $1.5 million
- The Descendants – $1.4 million
- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – $1.2 million
