Memorial Day weekend has traditionally been one of the biggest at the box office. However, no established franchise planted a tentpole this year, leaving Disney as the biggest stakeholder with the sci-fi actioner Tomorrowland [1952]. Taking its title from the Disneyland theme park area, the PG-rated film has been shrouded in mystery. The trailers and marketing have revealed little of the plot and are instead banking on the Disney brand name as well as those of director Brad Bird [BBIRD] and George Clooney [GCLOO]. The plan may backfire as movie fans seeking more information find lukewarm reviews. Launching from 3972 theaters, Tomorrowland could blast away with $48 million over the 4-day weekend.
After its phenomenal opening weekend, Pitch Perfect 2 [PTCP2] could stumble like a frontloaded sequel and still challenge for the top spot if Tomorrowland falters. Pitch Perfect 2 should belt out another $40 million through Monday.
Despite debuting out of first place by more $20 million, Mad Max: Fury Road [MMAX4] finished first on Monday and Wednesday. Excellent word of mouth should continue through the holiday weekend as Mad Max: Fury Road looks to run down another $38 million.
The 1980s classic horror film Poltergeist [POLTR] gets remade starring Sam Rockwell [SROCK] and Rosemarie DeWitt [RDEWI] as parents who move to a suburban home built on an ancient burial ground. The Fox release has little direct competition and the PG-13 rating should attract teen moviegoers. Moving into 3240 theaters, Poltergeist could raise $30 million over the long holiday weekend.
After grossing nearly $3 million in 3 weeks of limited release, Fox Searchlight expands Far From the Madding Crowd [FFTMC] wide into at least 830 theaters. The romance based on the classic Thomas Hardy novel has earned rave reviews and should appeal to its target demographic of older women. Belle banked $2 million in half the theaters last Memorial Day weekend. Far From the Madding Crowd should be able to bring in $3.5 million.
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Tag(s): 1952, BBIRD, GCLOO, PTCP2, MMAX4, POLTR, SROCK, RDEWI, FFTMC