The month of May has so far been lacking in quality blockbuster films and, judging by the reviews, the two new wide releases look to continue that disappointing fashion. However, poor reviews are not going to affect the debut of Sex and the City 2 [SATC2] one iota. Two years ago, Sex and the City splashed down with a skyscraping $56.9 million as fans of the series made a ladies’ night out of attending during opening weekend. The same legion of women will turn the sequel into another must-see event. Opening a day earlier on 3445 theaters, the R-rated comedy has already banked $3 million from midnight showings on its way to a probable $18 million for Thursday. The fabulous foursome looks to pump in another $60 million during the four-day holiday weekend.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time [PRSIA] appears ready to live up (or is it down) to the trend of mediocre feature adaptations of video games. While Disney and Bruckheimer Production are hoping for another crowd-pleaser like Pirates of the Caribbean, the PG-13 rated action adventure has so far generated little buzz or excitement. Moviegoers may be tired of the generic storyline and the CG effects for the sake of having CG effects. Jake Gyllenhaal’s [JGYLL] parkouring thief is no Jack Sparrow and the entire cast looks and sounds distinctly British in a film supposedly set in 9th Century Persia. Leaping into 3646 theaters, Prince of Persia should appeal to enough young males to power its way to around $45 million over the long Memorial Day weekend.
Even with higher ticket prices for 3D, Shrek Forever After [SHRK4] took in only 58% of Shrek the Third’s opening gross. Despite good word of mouth, most audiences are already over the ogre due to the disappointing Shrek the Third. Shrek Forever After does still have the family segment all to itself, which should allow DreamWorks Animation to recoup another $42 million over the holiday weekend.
Although Iron Man 2 [IRNM2] has been losing steam at the box office, the sequel is still on track to surpass the domestic total of the first Iron Man. Tony Stark should close out the four-day weekend with another $18 million in its coffers.
That’s the whisper from the trading floor.
Tag(s): SATC2, PRSIA, JGYLL, SHRK4, IRNM2