A handful of new films pull up to the starting line this weekend, but The Fate of the Furious [FAST8] will remain leader of the pack. The previous chapter Furious 7 stalled nearly 60% in its second weekend. A similar drop-off would bring The Fate of the Furious to around $41 million.
Unforgettable [UNFRG] tests the fading starpower of Katherine Heigl [KHEIG], who has gone from playing the romantic comedy lead to the psycho other woman. Rosario Dawson [RDAWS] co-stars in the R-rated thriller, but she doesn’t have the draw of say, Beyonce or Taraji P. Henson. Stalking 2417 theaters, Unforgettable may capture $7 million.
Disneynature is back with another documentary Born in China [BCHNA] for Earth Day weekend. The last two openings were Monkey Kingdom with $4.6 million in 2015 and Bears with $4.8 million in 2014. Pandas should prove more popular with the target family audience. Playing in 1508 theaters, Born in China could deliver $5.5 million.
Christian Bale [CBALE] and Oscar Isaac [OISAA] star in The Promise [TPRMS] about the Armenian genocide during the first World War. The PG-13 rated drama should do well with the Armenian diaspora and older moviegoers, but mixed reviews will prevent the film from crossing over. The Promise may earn $4.5 million from 2251 theaters.
A24 targets the hipster crowd with the R-rated action comedy Free Fire [FREFR], which could hit $2.0 million from 1070 locations.
Marketed as produced by Ridley Scott, Phoenix Forgotten [PHXFG] looks exactly like a Blair Witch-ripoff with UFOs. The PG-13 horror may abduct $2 million from 1588 theaters.
That’s the whisper on the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): FAST8, UNFRG, KHEIG, RDAWS, BCHNA, CBALE, OISAA, TPRMS, FREFR, PHXFG