Two new wide releases enter the box office frame aimed at different audiences. Denzel Washington [DWASH] and Mark Wahlberg [MWAHL] buddy up for the actioner 2 Guns [2GUNS] as undercover agents from different agencies that team up after getting double-crossed. Wahlberg’s Contraband, from the same director as 2 Guns, opened to $22.3 million in January 2012. A month later, Washington’s Safe House debuted with $40.2 million. Since all three R-rated films are from Universal, the studio knows how to market this genre to moviegoers. The two popular stars display oog on-screen chemistry which should connect with both of their fanbase. Unloading into 3025 theaters, 2 Guns could fire off $34 million.
Sony targets the family moviegoers with the sequel The Smurfs 2 [SMRF2], which takes the little blue mushroom dwellers to Paris. Two years ago on this weekend, The Smurfs pulled in $35.6 million. However, the PG-rated sequel faces heavier competition in Turbo and Despicable Me 2. The novelty of seeing the on the big screen may have worn off. The sequel Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties, which also went to Europe, vastly underperformed the first Garfield. After earning $5.2 million in its Wednesday opening, The Smurfs 2 could smurf $25 million from Friday to Sunday from 3866 locations.
The under-performance of The Wolverine [WOLV2] demonstrated fan fatigue with the franchise X-Men character and perhaps superhero films in general. The sequel is likely to fall around 55% to $24 million.
Showing strong hold for an R-rated horror film, The Conjuring [CNJUR] will cross the $100 million mark with around $12 million in its third outing.
That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): DWASH, MWAHL, 2GUNS, SMRF2, WOLV2, CNJUR