Multi-hyphenated talent Tyler Perry [TPERR] has become a brand name at the box office. His films are consistent box office draw with those featuring Perry as Madea out-performing those that do not. Perry’s latest film I Can Do Bad All By Myself [ICDBA] is based on his first stage play, which incidentally introduced the world to Madea. Taraji P. Henson [TPHEN] stars as the lead in the life affirming drama that appeal to his target audience of African-American women. Opening in 2255 theaters, I Can Do Bad All By Myself should be able to do at least $28 million and top the weekend by a wide margin.
The animated 9 [9NINE] is set in a post-apocalyptic future where the only life are puppets and machines. Focus Features is banking on the names of producers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov to bring out sci-fi and fantasy fans. The film is likely to appeal mostly to males. The PG-13 rated film opened on Wednesday to take advantage of the date 9-9-09 and grossed $3.1 million. Appearing in just 1652 theaters, 9 could manage to do $12 million from Friday to Sunday.
Summit gets into the horror remake business with Sorority Row [HSROW]. Briana Evigan [BEVIG] and Jamie Chung [JCHUN] lead the cast of young actresses who should appeal to both young female and male moviegoers alike. The R-rated film has a catchy premise similar to I Know What You Did Last Summer that should connect with the date crowd. Rushing into 2665 theaters, Sorority Row may pledge around $10 million.
Kate Beckinsale [KBECK] toplines the R-rated thriller Whiteout [WTOUT]. It's rather peculiar Warner Bros. choose to release the Antarctica-set film while the weather is still hot rather than wait till winter. Faced with competition from other adult fares having better word of mouth, Whiteout is unlikely to gain much visibility in the marketplace. With a last minute campagin, Whiteout could uncover $9 million from 2745 locations.
That’s the whisper from the trading floor.
Tag(s): TPERR, ICDBA, TPHEN, 9NINE, HSROW, BEVIG, JCHUN, KBECK, WTOUT