The box office gets a much needed fuel injection this weekend as the highly anticipated sequel Fast Five [FFUR5] roars into theaters. The fifth installment in The Fast and The Furious franchise brings the street racing gang to Brazil for a heist. The return of Vin Diesel [VDIES] and others from the first film opened 2009’s Fast & Furious to $71 million. That indicates an established fanbase eager for more. Universal stacks Fast Five with more stars from previous sequels and added even more muscle in Dwayne Johnson [TROCK]. Director Justin Lin [JLIN] has utilized a higher budget and the exotic locale to create ever bigger action set pieces as showcased in the marketing campaign. With a dismal year and lack of competition, Fast Five's familiar brand of action is primed to bring moviegoers of all demographic stripes back to theaters in droves. The PG-13 rated film has already outperformed internationally and all signs point to an explosive start in the domestic market as well. Debuting in 3643 theaters including 245 IMAX, Fast Five looks to burn out at least $75 million.
Coming off a big Easter weekend, Rio [RIO] is poised to relinquish its top perch with a third weekend drop closer to 40%, which would bring in around $16 million.
Tyler Perry’s movies are typically frontloaded with a 60% fall in its second weekend. A similar drop would put Madea’s Big Happy Family [MDBHF] at $10 million.
The romance Water for Elephant [WELPH] should continue to bring out older women. A decline around 40% in its sophomore session would bring in $10 million.
Disney targets the tween female audience with the PG-rated Prom [PROM]. With a lack of starpower, the wholesome comedy may settle for about $10 million from 2730 locations.
Hayden Panettiere [HPANE] takes over the lead role in the PG-rated animated sequel Hoodwinked Too: Hood vs. Evil [HDWN2]. The original Hoodwinked opened to $12.9 million in 2006 and became a surprise hit. However, The Weinstein Co. delayed the release of the sequel and now the quality of the animation looks extremely dated. Opening in 2505 theaters, Hoodwinked Too may hook in $8 million.
Freestyle Releasing books the PG-13 rated Dylan Dog: Dead of Night [DEADN] into 862 theaters. The supernatural fantasy may reach fans of the comic, but the target audience will be checking out Fast Five. Dylan Dog: Dead of Night may gross just $2 million.
That’s the whisper from the trading floor.
Tag(s): FFUR5, VDIES, TROCK, JLIN, RIO, MDBHF, WELPH, PROM, HPANE, HDWN2, DEADN