Box Office Predictions »
Box Office: Hancock Arrives
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Box Office, Family Films, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Box Office Predictions
1. Wall-E: $63 million
2. Wanted: $50.9 million
3. Get Smart: $20.2 million
4. Kung Fu Panda: $11.7 million
5. The Incredible Hulk: $9.6 million
Only one major release this week, but we've also got one going into wider release.
HancockWhat's It All About: Will Smith plays Hancock, a hard drinking anti-social superhero, and a PR agent played by Jason Bateman sets out to repair Hancock's public image.
Why It Might Do Well: Will Smith may not always have the Midas touch (I Am Legend left me cold) but he's got quite a few successful blockbusters under his belt, and people are loving the superhero flicks these days. I've liked Bateman's work a lot since Arrested Development, and I'm always glad to see him. Also, Cinematical's own Kim Voynar has given the film her seal of approval.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Unlike most big-budget superhero movies, this one doesn't originate from another media like comic books, so it doesn't come with the core fanbase of an Iron Man or an Incredible Hulk. Also, the 36% fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com is not encouraging.
Number of Theaters: 3,900
Prediction: $45 million
And going into wider release this week...
Box Office: Who Wants WALL-E?
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Box Office, Angelina Jolie, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Box Office Predictions
1. Get Smart: $38.6 million
2. The Incredible Hulk: $22.1 million
3. Kung Fu Panda: $21.9 million
4. The Love Guru: $13.9 million
5. The Happening: $10.5 million
Two wide releases this week, a heartwarming comedy for the whole family and a stylized action adventure shoot-em-up for the older crowd.
WALL-EWhat's It All About: Disney/Pixar is back with the tale of a lovable sentient trash compactor. WALL-E has been alone on the abandoned Planet Earth for hundreds of years, but he discovers a new purpose when he meets a robot named EVE. Apparently WALL-E has stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, a solution which the human race eagerly awaits.
Why It Might Do Well: The trailers look promising and WALL-E is written and directed by Andrew Stanton, who served in the same capacity on Finding Nemo, Pixar's most financially successful film to date. Plus, our star has the cute going on.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov described a condition called The Frankenstein Complex, which is a fear of robots -- but look at the little guy. Did I mention he's cute? This is easily next week's number one flick.
Number of Theaters: 3,900
Prediction: $70 million
Box Office: Love Smarts
Filed under: Comedy, Box Office, Box Office Predictions
1. The Incredible Hulk: $55.4 million
2. Kung Fu Panda: $33.6 million
3. The Happening: $30.5 million
4. You Don't Mess with the Zohan: $16.4 million
5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: $14.7 million
Both of this week's new releases are comedies, putting them in direct competition with one another, so this should be interesting.
Get SmartWhat's It All About: Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway star in this adaptation of the classic 60's spy comedy. Carell is Maxwell Smart, an eager but inexperienced analyst for an espionage agency called CONTROL. Max is suddenly promoted to field agent when the evil organization KAOS learns the identity of nearly every Control agent in the world, and he is teamed with the lovely agent 99 played by Hathaway.
Why It Might Do Well: There's nostalgia appeal at work here, plus Steve Carell's presence will stir up memories of hits like The 40 Year Old Virgin and he's still got plenty of fans from NBC's The Office.
Why It Might Not Do Well: How well a spy caper created during the Cold War translates to the 21st century remains to be seen. Also, the 58% rating at rottentomatoes.com isn't thrilling me.
Number of Theaters: 3,700
Prediction: $40 million
Box Office: The Hulk is Happening
Filed under: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Box Office, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Box Office Predictions
1. Kung Fu Panda: $60.2 million
2. You Don't Mess with the Zohan: $38.5 million
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: $22.7 million
4. Sex and the City: $21.2 million
5. The Strangers: $8.9 million
Two huge releases this week, each of which represents a comeback of sorts.
The Incredible HulkWhat's It All About: In the wake of Ang Lee's not so well received 2003 The Hulk, the franchise gets a reboot and the character gets back the adjective that all the 60s Marvel characters had (The Uncanny X-Men, The Amazing Spider-man, etc.). Edward Norton plays the over-irradiated Dr. Bruce Banner who, when angered, turns green around the gills and starts throwing tanks around. He is being pursued by the military which is led by General "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt) and he does battle with another gamma powered mutation called The Abomination (Tim Roth).
Why It Might Do Well: There appears to be more action in this Hulk movie than the last, and as Iron Man proved not that long ago, an exciting, well produced comic book movie can be a license to print money.
Why It Might Not Do Well: While this is a more satisfyingly ferocious looking Hulk, the fact that he's a CGI creation (albeit a pretty good one) is obvious to the point of distraction. Will audiences be able to get past this?
Number of Theaters: 3,400
Prediction: $65 million
Box Office: Panda Vs. The Zohan
Filed under: Comedy, Box Office, Box Office Predictions
1. Sex and the City: $56.8 million
2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: $44.7 million
3. The Strangers: $20.9 million
4. Iron Man: $13.5 million
5. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: $12.7 million
We've got two more new releases this week, both of which are going for the laughs.
What's It All About: A Kung Fu loving panda (voiced by Jack Black) must put work in the family noodle shop on hold when he is chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Now he studies alongside martial arts experts Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey -- under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu.
Why It Might Do Well: With all the big releases lately, there haven't been many geared toward the little ones, so I can see this one filling a void and Rottentomatoes.com gives it a 92% fresh rating.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Come on, he's a panda. What are you, some kind of panda hater? Heck, I suspect this will be next week's number one movie.
Number of Theaters: 3,600
Prediction: $56 million
Box Office: Sex With a Stranger
Filed under: Comedy, Horror, Box Office, Box Office Predictions
1. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: $100.1 million
2. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: $22.7 million
3. Iron Man: $20.4 million
4. What Happens in Vegas: $9.1 million
5. Speed Racer: $3.9
Two new releases this week, and between the two of them America should get its recommended daily allowance of sex and violence:
Sex and the CityWhat's It All About: Yes, they're back. Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her cohorts continue their escapades from the successful HBO series.
Why It Might Do Well: A 67% rating at Rottentomatoes.com isn't earth shattering, but it is respectable, and the show has a massive built-in cult following.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The movie will need to bring in more than just the show's fans, and this will be a tough sell for men.
Number of Theaters: 3,100
Prediction: $35 million
Box Office: Jonesing For Indiana
Filed under: Action, Box Office, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Remakes and Sequels, Box Office Predictions
1. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: $55 million
2. Iron Man: $31.8 million
3. What Happens in Vegas: $13.8 million
4. Speed Racer: $8.1 million
5. Made of Honor: $4.7 million
Just one movie coming out this week, people, but it's going to be a doozy.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal SkullWhat's It All About: Indiana who? I kid, I kid. Nearly twenty years after the last installment in the series, Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas join forces once again to regale the world with an adventure from the character who may damn well be the ass-kickingest action hero to ever grace the silver screen. Karen Allen also returns as Marion Ravenwood, a character we haven't seen since 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Indy's young sidekick is played by Shia LaBeouf.
Why It Might Do Well: The film scored 79% at Rottentomatoes.com, Cinematical's own Scott Weinberg gave the film his seal of approval, and this is Indiana Freakin' Jones, people! I don't know about you, but last weekend's Indiana Jones marathon on the Sci-Fi Channel got me pumped and I am DYING to see this one.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The Connecticut Cadre of Kate Capshaw Kibitzers are threatening to boycott the film because Ms. Capshaw will not be reprising her role from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but aside from them I think everyone's going.
Number of Theaters: 3,900
Prediction: $105 million
Box Office: Prince Caspian Arrives
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Box Office, Family Films, Box Office Predictions
1. Iron Man: $51.1 million
2. What Happens in Vegas: $20.1 million
3. Speed Racer: $18.5 million
4. Made of Honor: $8.1 million
5. Baby Mama: $6.2 million
Just one solitary new release for this week. Will it be enough to dethrone Marvel's golden avenger?
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianWhat's It All About: A year has passed since the events of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, but when the Pevensie siblings return to the world of Narnia, they find that 1,300 years have gone by and the land is under the tyrannical rule of King Miraz, though young Prince Caspian is the rightful heir to the throne.
Why It Might Do Well: Being the sequel to a successful flick ($65 million opening weekend with a total of $744 million worldwide) and the only major release hitting U.S. theaters this week, things are looking good for the Narnian economy. And the 88% fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com can't hurt.
Why It Might Not Do Well: I suppose if another Grand Theft Auto game should suddenly come out...
Number of Theaters: 3,800
Prediction: $65 million
Box Office: Go, Speed Racer, Go
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Box Office, Box Office Predictions
1. Iron Man: $98.6 million
2. Made of Honor: $14.7 million
3. Baby Mama: $10 million
4. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay: $6.1 million
5. Forgetting Sarah Marshall: $6 million
Again, just two new ones this week:
Speed RacerWhat's It All About: Andy and Larry Wachowski, the team behind the Matrix trilogy, adapt the classic 60's anime Speed Racer using a visual style reminiscent of Japanese animation melded with a modern video game aesthetic.
Why It Might Do Well: The trailer was amazing, and Cinematical's own James Rocchi describes the film as "a blast of pure pop family fun" in his review, which you can read right here.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The 40% rating on Rottentomatoes.com suggests this one may have trouble knocking Iron Man out of first place.
Number of Theaters: 3,600
Prediction: $43 million
Box Office: At last... Iron Man!
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Box Office, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Box Office Predictions
1. Baby Mama: $17.4 million
2. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay: $14.9 million
3. The Forbidden Kingdom: $11.2 million
4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall: $11 million
5. Nim's Island: $4.5 million
Only two new releases this week, but one of them is a doozy.
Iron ManWhat's It All About: At this point I doubt this film needs any introduction, but here goes. Based on the long running Marvel comic, Iron Man stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, a wealthy arms manufacturer (because an impoverished arms manufacturer would just be silly). When Stark is captured and forced to build a dangerous weapon, he instead makes a high tech suit of armor and uses it to escape. He further refines the suit and uses it to stop a conspiracy that threatens the world.
Why It Might Do Well: Well, we're talking one of the widest releases we've seen in awhile, a 90% fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com, and some kickass trailers and clips that have been generating a lot of buzz. Also, we've got a lead actor with some serious star power, and a supporting cast that includes Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow. Obviously this is next week's number one flick, the question is just how much will it rake in?
Why It Might Not Do Well: If every single person involved with this film went on network television tomorrow and shot a puppy, people would still flock to this one.
Number of Theaters: 3,800
Prediction: $62 million
Made of HonorWhat's It All About: When Tom's (Patrick Dempsey) best friend Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) leaves for a six week business trip he sees how empty his life is without her. He resolves to propose when she returns, but Hannah surprises Tom with the announcement of her engagement to someone else, and a request that he be her "maid" of honor.
Why It Might Do Well: This romantic comedy is different enough from Iron Man to snap up the remainder of the audience that's not into the super hero stuff.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The fact that this is the only other film being released the same weekend as what will probably be one of the biggest movies of the year seems to indicate a film the studio has little faith in.
Number of Theaters: 2,700
Prediction: $14 million
This seems like the most straightforward prediction we've had in a long while, which is a sure fire sign we're heading into the Summer blockbuster season. Here's how I see things working out:
1. Iron Man
2. Made of Honor
3. Baby Mama
4. Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay
5. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Still no perfect scores this week, but our group average is up over last week. Here's how everyone did in our weekly box office prediction competition.
1. Ray: 13
1. Mario: 13
1. Brent Todd: 13
1. kevin: 13
2. Erin: 11
3. Matt: 9
3. matt: 9
3. AJ Wiley: 9
3. Chris: 9
4. cubitfox: 8
4. zach: 8
4. Mike: 6
4. Sam: 6
4. plinstrot: 6
5. Matthew: 4
5. I Eat Robots: 4
5. DarkAgair: 4
5. Aaron: 4
5. Awesomepants: 4
5. Prateek S: 4
Will the latest feature film from Marvel rule with an iron fist? Yeah, probably, but what about the rest of the top five? Join in on the fun. Post your predictions for the top five movies in the comments section below before 5:00PM Eastern Time on Friday. One point for every top five movie correctly named, two points for every correct placement, and one extra point for the top movie.









