The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend brings four new wide releases to compete against holdovers looking for an Oscar bump from the just announced nominations. Leading the charge should be the action comedy Ride Along [RDLON]. Kevin Hart [KHART] and Ice Cube [ICUBE] buddy up as cops in a comedic version of Training Day. Buzz has been building for weeks and the PG-13 rated comedy has no competition for the young urban moviegoing crowd. Hart is a rising star with a widening fanbase. Playing in 2662 theaters, Ride Along could take home $36 million over the 4-day weekend.
Lone Survivor [LSURV] connected with moviegoers in the heartland, where support for the film based on a true story should remain string. Lone Survivor could land second with around $26 million.
Chris Pine [CPINE] becomes the fourth actor to star as Tom Clancy’s famed CIA analyst in the franchise restart Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit [JRYAN]. The PG-13 rated action thriller has seemingly been lost in Paramount’s shuffle with a late and generic marketing campaign. While the reviews have been good enough to attract adults, the trailers have not differentiated Jack Ryan from the other bigger spy series. Opening in 3387 theaters, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit may uncover $23 million over the long weekend.
Open Road gets into the animated game with The Nut Job [NUTJB]. The PG-rated family pic featuring talking animals faces a formidable Frozen that’s expected to gross another $12 million. The Nut Job may collect $13 million from 3427 locations.
Devil’s Due [DVLDU] is the second found footage horror film of the month after Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones. The R-rating will prevent some female teenagers from attending the film about a pregnancy from hell. Laboring in 2543 theaters, Devil’s Due may deliver $10 million for Fox.
That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): RDLON, KHART, ICUBE, LSURV, CPINE, JRYAN, NUTJB, DVLDU