The Blair Witch Project shook up Hollywood in 1999 with its revolutionary viral marketing and launched the found footage horror sub-genre that ironically it didn’t capitalized on again until now, 17 years later. Lionsgate has return to the roots of viral marketing and found footage for Blair Witch [WOODS], a direct sequel to the events of the 1999 film. A group of college students venture into the same forest where the sister of one of them disappeared years ago. Even though The Blair Witch Project grossed an astonishing $140 million, many of its patrons bought into the hype but didn’t actually enjoyed the experience. The R-rated Blair Witch will have to attract moviegoers who were just babies when the first film came out. Showing in 3121 theaters, Blair Witch may come away with $22 million.
With its appeal to older moviegoers, Sully [SULLY] should be able to hold better than 60% of its opening weekend. Sully may land another $21 million.
After an absence of more than 11 years, Renee Zellweger [RZELL] returns to her most identifiable role in Bridget Jones’s Baby [BJON3]. After prevailing over Hugh Grant, Colin Firth [CFIRT] must now contend with a new competition in the form of Patrick Dempsey [PDEMP]. The first two films both scored over $10 million during its wide opening. Despite the long gap between sequels, the heroine’s older female fanbase is likely to support the next chapter of the R-rated romantic comedy. Bridget Jones’s Baby could deliver $14 million from 2927 locations.
Snowden [SNWDN] stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt [JGORD] as the real-life whistleblower who exposed the NSA’s illegal surveillance on Americans. Director Oliver Stone [OSTON] has fans as well as detractors among the older demographics, so Open Road decided to take the film to Comic-Con to attract young moviegoers. Tapped into 2443 theaters, Snowden may uncover $9 million.
When the Bough Breaks [WTBBR] did not connect with its target audience as well as Sony Screen Gems’ previous efforts. The thriller looks to drop more than 55% in its sophomore weekend to $6 million
Hillsong – Let Hope Rise [HSLHR] sat on the shelf for more than a year before Pure Flix rescued it from Relativity. The concert film will only appeal to fans of the Christian rock band. Booked in 815 theaters, Hillsong – Let Hope Rise may raise $2 million.
That’s the whisper on the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): WOODS, SULLY, RZELL, BJON3, CFIRT, PDEMP, SNWDN, JGORD, OSTON, WTBBR, HSLHR