Even though it’s not yet Thanksgiving, Universal hopes moviegoers are in the Christmas spirit for Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch [HTGSC]. Benedict Cumberbatch [BCUMB] voices the title character in Illumination’s animated adaptation of the classic story How the Grinch Stole Christmas, first published in 1957. An animated version was produced in 1966 and airs on TV every year. A live-action adaptation starring Jim Carrey opened 18 years ago with $55.1 million, which would be $93.4 million adjusted for inflation. So while the character remains popular, The Grinch is not a never-seen-before must-see. Parents may wait until the holiday season before bringing their kids. The Grinch could loot $64 million from 4141 locations.
Moviegoers are responding positively to the crowd-pleasing Bohemian Rhapsody [FREDI]. The Queen biopic should be able to hold 50% of its debut at around $26 million.
The R-rated horror Overlord [OVRLD] set during World War II is basically a feature version of Zombie mode from the Call of Duty videogame. Paramount is banking on the name of producer J.J. Abrams. Overlord has excellent buzz and reviews since premiering at Fantastic Fest. The last Bad Robot film, 10 Cloverfield Lane opened March 2016 to $24.7 million. However, Overlord doesn’t have Cloverfield in its title and could settle for $13 million from 2850 theaters.
Sony targets Lisbeth Salander fans with The Girl in the Spider’s Web [TGRL2]. Unfortunately, Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo have been replaced with unknowns Claire Foy [CFOY] and Sverrir Gudnason [SGUDN]. The R-rated thriller opens in 2929 theaters, so it’s unlikely to match the $12.7 million debut of the 2011 film. The Girl in the Spider’s Web may catch $11 million.
Despite its subpar opening, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms [NUTFR] did pick up business from families on Saturday and Sunday. The second weekend could drop in half to $10 million.
After 4 weeks of limited release, Beautiful Boy [BTFUB] expands wide to 777 theaters. The Oscar hopeful could secure $2 million.
That’s the whisper on the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): HTGSC, BCUMB, FREDI, OVRLD, TGRL2, CFOY, SGUDN, NUTFR, BTFUB