The Agency's Posts

Oscars 2013: An 'Argo' night at Academy Awards: For the second straight year, the movie business fell for itself. "Argo"— in....
Read More>

'Side Effects' a first-rate brain tease: "Side Effects,"Steven Soderbergh's tightly wound mind game, is definitely worth....
Read More>

Christian Bale in Talks to Star in 'Everest': Baltasar Kormakur is attached to the direct the true-life adventure film. Christian Baleis....
Read More>

Paladino Casting - Workshop for Kids!: PALADINO CASTINGis offering audition technique classes which will enhance and improve your child's....
Read More>

Snitch: Film Review: Although it sometimes accompanies fine films such asZero Dark ThirtyandArgo,the phrase “in
Read More>

Rihanna's River Island Fashion Show: What the: The pop princess made her designer debut at London Fashion Week, which some called "hideous&quo
Read More>

New roads open for 'Downton Abbey': The Season 3 finale paves the way for some much-needed conflict and tension next season.....
Read More>

Beyonce offers rare personal glimpse in 'Life Is but a Dream': Beyonce lets fans into her personal life in the new HBO documentary, but make no mistake -- she's....
Read More>

'Beautiful Creatures' has brains and bewitching cast too: Richard LaGravenese's 'Beautiful Creatures' adaptation of the bestselling young-adult series....
Read More>

Movie Review: 'A Good Day to Die Hard' an uninspired effort: Playing everyman action hero John McClane for the fifth time, Bruce Willis seems to be just going....
Read More>

Ashton Kutcher: Steve Jobs was my 'hero': Ashton Kutcherhas been gettingrave reviews from audiencesfor his role in a biopic about Apple....
Read More>

Grammys 2013: Where lip-syncing is off-limits: Strutting the stage in her white tuxedo jacket, shorts and sparkling top hat,Taylor Swiftopened....
Read More>

Melissa McCarthy leads 'Identity Thief' to biggest opening of 2013: Melissa McCarthystole the show at the box office this weekend, proving she has the star power....
Read More>
Movie projector: Five new movies open, but 'Expendables' may kick butt again
Posted on: 08/19/10
Share/Save/Bookmark
 

NannyMcPheeHollywood is releasing a family comedy, a romantic comedy, a teen-targeted spoof, a cheesy 3-D thriller, and an African American-targeted comedy this weekend. But instead of heading for the new releases, moviegoers may just stick with the same old action heroes.

"The Expendables," directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone, hasthe best chance to be No. 1 for the second weekend in a row, said people who have seen surveys of potential moviegoers. The aging-mercenaries tale should sell between $15 million and $17 million worth of tickets in the U.S. and Canada, down a little more than half from its strong opening weekend. Through Wednesday it has grossed a total of $45.7 million.

The family movie "Nanny McPhee Returns" has a shot at topping "Expendables," but is more likely to fall just short and open to a little less than $15 million.

The remaining lineup -- "Lottery Ticket," "Vampires Suck," "Piranha 3D," and "The Switch" -- are alllikely to make even less of a splash, with debuts ranging from $7 million to $13 million apiece.

In other words, Hollywood's summer blockbuster season is now officially over, and studios are now releasing movies with lower commercial potential in the dog days of August.

As with the first "Nanny McPhee" in 2006, which was also written by and starred Emma Thompson, the sequel was produced with an eye toward earning most of its money overseas. Made for about $35 million by Universal Pictures and Relativity Media, "Nanny McPhee Returns" started playing in foreign countries in March. It has already grossed a total of $62.6 million internationally, with $23.6 million of that coming from Great Britain and Ireland.

The film's domestic reception also seems on track to mirror the first "Nanny McPhee," which opened to $14.5 million and ended up with $47.1 million in the U.S. and Canada. Even if the box office revenuefor "Returns" is identical to its predecessor, that will represent a modest decline in audience interest due to rising average ticket prices.

VampiresSuck"Vampires Suck" is the latest parody from the makers of "Epic Movie," "Meet the Spartans" and "Disaster Movie," whose mocking eye has this time turned to the "Twilight" series. As a result, interest is strongest among young women.

Produced by Regency Enterprises and distributed by 20th Century Fox, "Vampires Suck" hit theaters Wednesday and grossed $4 million.

Weekend expectations aren't high for the low budget comedy, however. It appears likely to do better than 2008's "Disaster Movie," which opened to $5.8 million, but lower than that same year's "Meet the Spartans" and 2007's "Epic Movie," which debuted to $18.5 million and $18.6 million, respectively. It should gross a little less than $10 million over the weekend, giving it a five-day total of $12 million to $15 million.

"Lottery Ticket," produced by Alcon Entertainment for $17 million and released by Warner Bros., has a cast of well-known African American actors including Bow Wow, Ice Cube, Loretta Devine and Terry Crews. Like most recent films aimed at black moviegoers that aren't made by Tyler Perry, however, the comedy about a young man who must sit on a winning lottery ticket over a long holiday weekend appears to have limited box office potential and will likely open to around $10 million.

That's the same box office territory expected for "Piranha 3D," a cheeseball thriller with a self-explanatory title that marks the first movie released nationwide by The Weinstein Co. since January's "Youth in Revolt." The recently refinanced independent studio originally planned to release "Piranha" in April through its Dimension Films genre label but pushed back the release date as it was going through a cash crunch.

But despite the boost that surcharges on 3-D tickets will provide, "Piranha" won't have too much bite, as it heads towards an opening of about $10 million that will be driven by young moviegoers.

Romantic comedy "The Switch," starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, will likely struggle to get to even the $10 million mark. Pre-release surveys signal that it will perform less like Aniston's March romantic Switchcomedy "The Bounty Hunter," which started with $20.7 million, and more like last September's "Love Happens," which opened to a weak $8 million. As with most romantic comedies, interest is strongest among women.

"The Switch" was produced by Miramax Films but is being released by its parent company Walt Disney Studios, as Miramax was shut down earlier this year and its library and brand name are being sold to a group of investors led by Ron Tutor.

The Julia Roberts romantic drama "Eat Pray Love" will likely land in the middle of the pack, garnering between $10 million to $15 million following its $23.6 million debut last week.

Also launching this weekend at two theaters in Los Angeles and two in New York is the  documentary "The Tillman Story," about the controversial death of Pat Tillman, the football-player- turned-soldier who died in Afghanistan.

-- Ben Fritz

Top photo: Emma Thompson in "Nanny McPhee Returns." Credit: Liam Daniel / Universal Pictures. Second photo: Charlie Weber in "Vampires Suck." Credit: 20th Century Fox. Bottom photo: Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston in "The Switch." Credit: Baster Productions.


COMMENTS
Be the first to post a comment!


Post A Comment:




  • It's 2020! Start booking roles in commercials, fashion, films, theater and more with The Agency Online!

  • NEW WORKSHOP with Barbara Barna & Sean De Simone!

    Hi Everyone and Happy Summer! Sean at Sean De Simone casting and Barbara Barna are teaming up for a super informative and fun Hosting for Home Shopping workshop. A great opportunity for established or experienced TV Hosts and Experts interested in learning how to get noticed and how to get in....
  • MASTERCLASS W. Robin Carus & David John Madore

    A Special Offer for the Agency Community, from one of our favorite NYC Casting Directors! EMAIL FacetheMusicWithUs@gmail.com Or Eventbrite To Sign Up! Class Size is Limited.
  • Don't Fall Into The Comparison Trap

    Hi Everyone! As the second installment in an ongoing series of features by the Agency's amazing community, here's some sage advice from our own Regina Rockensies; a humble (& awesome)veteran we've had the pleasure of working with for a long time. Have an excellent week! : ) - The Agency....
  • One Model's Agreement

    Hi Everyone! As the first piece in an ongoing series of original articles by the Agency community, here's a short reflection on some of the values of professional acting & modeling that we can all keep in mind for our next casting. Good luck on your castings &shoots this week! : ) -....




 
home       castings&news       privacy policy       terms and conditions      contact us      browser tips
Official PayPal Seal