If I really wanted to be corny I’d say it may be a photo finish at this weekend’s box-office (ha, ha, ha), but I won’t go there (even though I already did). Instead I’ll be dull and say things look really close as three films will all compete for the #1 slot as Friday estimates show a tight race.
In the #1 spot, for the time being, is the Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel rom-baby-com Life as We Know It with an estimated $5.2 million. Tracking had this one finishing first so it isn’t all that much of a surprise. However, it is a bit disappointing for me just because I couldn’t even bring myself to go screen this film for review, opting for a second helping of The Social Network instead, and now I sit here with the knowledge millions of people around the country are actually paying good money to see a movie where the trailer includes a “joke” where Heigl has “poo on her face.” Good god, what is going on?
Speaking of The Social Network, last week’s #1 is right now this week’s #2, but that is expected to change. After $5.2 million on Friday, Life as We Know It is expected to end around $15 million while The Social Network is currently the projected weekend winner after $4.9 million on Friday. This is expected to translate into a $16 million weekend, but I’m not ready to take those numbers as fact. I really think this could come down to a Monday afternoon actuals check. It could be that close.
In third place is Disney’s Secretariat and while the race is close I don’t think this horse is going to have the strength to pull ahead after a $4 million Friday that should have it limping across the finish line around $13-14 million. I can’t say I am too surprised considering Seabiscuit managed a $20 million opening back in 2003, the difference being that was a film about a jockey and his horse whereas Secretariat is a film about a 50-year-old woman and her horse. I mean, it’s hard to excite younger audiences with that storyline and since this doesn’t have anyone named Carrie or Mr. Big the ladies aren’t as interested in this kind of a horse.
The week’s other newcomer is Wes Craven’s My Soul to Take, his first major film on the big screen since 2005’s Red Eye. Unfortunately, 3D or no 3D, this film isn’t doing well with a meager $2.6 million on Friday and a likely $7 million weekend. Definitely not the best of performances, but I suspect he’ll do much better with Scream 4 when it hits theaters on April 15, 2011.
As for the rest of Friday, I have listed the top ten directly below and I will be back here on Sunday with a complete weekend recap:
- Life as We Know It – $5.2 million
- The Social Network – $4.9 million
- Secretariat – $4 million
- My Soul to Take – $2.6 million
- The Town – $1.8 million
- Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole – $1.7 million
- Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps – $1.3 million
- Easy A – $1.3 million
- Case 39 – $810,000
- Let Me In – $760,000
- You Again – $758,000
- It’s Kind of a Funny Story – $680,000
