The holiday movie season is set for blast off with three star-driven films. DreamWorks Animation leads the pack with the 3D animated Megamind [MEGAM]. Will Ferrell [WFERR] voices the villainous title character as he battles the heroic Metro Man voiced by Brad Pitt [BPITT]. Marketing has been ubiquitous on the PG-13 rated film which looks to hit all four quadrants of moviegoers. Opening in 3944 theaters, Megamind could take home a mega $56 million.
Robert Downey Jr. [RDOWN] teams up with the director and the breakout star from last year’s The Hangover, Todd Phillips [TPHIL] and Zack Galifinakis [ZGALI], for the R-rated comedy Due Date [DUDAT]. Though early reviews have been mixed, the film’s combined starpower should attract the intended audience. Due Date may deliver $33 million from 3355 locations.
For the first time, Tyler Perry [TPERR] directs a film written by someone else. Based on a popular 1975 play, For Colored Girls [FCGRL] features seven black women dealing with the personal and social issues. The subject matter as well as an all-star cast of African-American actresses should connect with Perry’s black older female fanbase. Debuting in 2127 theaters, For Colored Girls could walk away with $20 million.
After reclaiming the number one spot for the franchise finale, Saw 3D [SAW7] is poised to tumble 55% to about $11 million in its second weekend. Meanwhile, Paranormal Activity 2 [PNAC2] should scare up another $8 million in its third weekend.
That’s the whisper from the trading floor.
Tag(s): MEGAM, WFERR, BPITT, RDOWN, TPHIL, ZGALI, DUDAT, TPERR, FCGRL, SAW7, PNAC2