This weekend brings another dystopian sci-fi film adapted from a best-selling YA novel. The Maze Runner [MAZER] focuses on a group of young men are trapped within a post-apocalyptic glade. Dylan O’Brien [DOBRI] stars as a new arrival who leads the escape. Fox hopes the PG-13 rated film will open more like Divergent’s $54.6 million than The Giver’s $12.3 million, while trackings indicate an opening smack in the middle of the two. Starting in 3604 theaters, The Maze Runner could cross the finish line with $35 million.
Liam Neeson [LNEES] is back with another Taken-like role. Based on the 10th book in a the Matthew Scudder series, A Walk Among the Tombstones [WKTMB] stars Neeson as a private investigator for criminals, hired to track down a couple of sadistic killers. Neeson’s previous effort for Universal, the PG-13 rated Non-Stop debuted at $28.9 million. The R-rated A Walk Among the Tombstones is darker and contains less action, which may limit the audience to older men. Breaking into 2712 theaters, A Walk Among the Tombstones could uncover $17 million.
Warner Bros. has assembled an all-star ensemble cast for the R-rated dramedy This is Where I Leave You [TWILU] based on a best-selling novel. Jason Bateman [JBATE] and Tina Fey [TFEY] are the biggest draws in the film targeted at older female moviegoers. Although reviews have been mixed, This is Where I Leave You could tally $13 million from 2868 theaters.
Last week's breakout number one film, No Good Deed [NOGDD] is likely to drop more than 50% in its second weekend and finish around $11 million.
Despite not having competition for family fare, Dolphin Tale 2 [DLPH2] did not perform as well as its predecessor. The sequel is likely to decline at a faster rate of 35% in its second weekend to $10 million.
That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): MAZER, DOBRI, LNEES, WKTMB, TWILU, JBATE, TFEY, NOGDD, DLPH2