Sensei said Lone Survivor would shock the industry, and he wasn’t kidding. The film ended up easily out-performing Sensei’s prediction with a $37 million opening. Will we see such box office strength this weekend?
Sensei’s weekend predictions and revenue results are as follows:
1. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit ($28 million) – Rebooting Jack Ryan was the right call after The Sum Of All Fears disappointed at the box office. One has to be careful here though, as Chris Pine takes over in a versatile role that both Harrison Ford and Alec Baldwin did very well. Heavy shoes to fill, but the film should have a slight edge in winning the weekend. We’re not looking at Lone Survivor-like numbers, but still pretty solid start.
2. The Nut Job ($24 million) – This one will be the surprise of the weekend. Animated fare stands to do very well in frames this strong and will pass many projections.
3. Ride Along ($23 million)– Oh, this film was close. The action comedy concept works well, but the film dips too far into the “crime-based” narrative which prevents it from reaching a vast audience. These darker elements fit more in with a Kick Ass 2-like audience, a film which disappointed greatly in its opening last Fall. Still, with a frame this strong, Sensei believes Ride Along can still reach the low to mid 20s.
4. Lone Survivor ($21 million) – The real star of the weekend. Film had a fantastic opening, and it is set up to have a very successful four-day holiday weekend. Film will easily cross the $100 million domestic mark in coming weeks, and now competes to be the biggest film of the season.
5. The Devil’s Due ($15 million) – Having a real life-like “devil baby” terrorizing New York City makes for some pretty interesting marketing, and all in good fun. Sensei applauds the fun originality. Despite being a Rosemary’s Baby-like concept, film should still break the mid-figure mark.
Those are Sensei’s calls. Enjoy the weekend.