February has typically been a slow month for movie-going, especially for family-friendly fares. Warner Bros. hopes to break through the cold weather with The Lego Movie [LEGO] based on the popular toy brand. Besides building blocks, Lego has also created a successful videogame business based on Lego version of such popular franchises as Star Wars, Harry Potter and Marvel superheroes. The Lego Movie expands on that model with an original story centered on a new figure voiced by Chris Pratt [CPRAT] set in world that’s also populated by such familiar Warner Bros. characters as Batman, voiced by Will Arnett [WARNE]. The trailers offer a roller coaster ride filled irreverent PG-rated humor that’s connecting with both kids and adults. With advance ticket sale second only to Toy Story 3 among all animated films, The Lego Movie is already attracting all demographics, not just families with kids. Since school is still in session, The Lego Movie is unlikely to reach the $80 million range of Monsters University and Despicable Me 2 during summer, but Lorax’s $70 million in March may not be out of the question depending on East Coast weather. Breaking into 3775 theaters, The Lego Movie could stack up $61 million.
Originally set for release over Christmas, The Monuments Men [MONUM] was pushed back away from having to compete against the year-end awards contenders. George Clooney [GCLOO] and Matt Damon [MDAMO] starred in the WWII drama based on the real-life exploits of Allied soldiers trying to secure stolen Nazi art. The PG-13 film was first marketed as a WWII version of Ocean’s 11, but Sony’s campaign then took a more serious turn. Critics have cited the film’s shifting, uneven tone in their poor reviews, which could hurt attendance from older moviegoers that make up the target audience. The Monuments Men may uncover $19 million from 3083 theaters.
Vampire Academy [VACDM] is the latest fantasy adaptation from a young adult novel series. The supernatural genre targeted at young females appears tapped out as 3 similar films, Beautiful Creatures, The Host and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, all opened no more than $10 million last year. The Weinstein Co. is marketing the PG-13 rated film as a vampire version of Mean Girls, which may prove more popular than the previous, serious efforts. Enrolling in 2676 theaters, Vampire Academy could matriculate with $10 million.
Ride Along [RDLON] looks to cross the $100 million marker with about $6 million in its fourth weekend. Meanwhile, That Awkward Moment [AWODT] may slip 45% in its second weekend to $5 million.
That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): LEGO, CPRAT, WARNE, MONUM, GCLOO, MDAMO, VACDM, RDLON, AWODT