Sony’sSpectrehas helped breathe new life into the saggingbox officesince opening on November 6, which has taken in $128.9 million in its first two weeks of release. As successful as this run has been, 007’s reign at the top will come to an end this weekend with the release of Lionsgate’sThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, which, according to the projections fromPro.BoxOffice.com, is aiming to bring in $123 million in its opening weekend. Movies of this size and scope often have the weekend to itself, with no other studios trying to compete with a guaranteed blockbuster, butThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2will go up against Sony Pictures’The Night Beforeand STX Entertainment’sSecret in Their Eyes, neither of which stand a chance of taking home the top spot.
IfThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2does hit these projections, it will be the third-highest opening weekend out of the four franchise hits.The Hunger Gamesopened in 2012 with $152.5 million, followed by 2013’sThe Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which opened with a franchise-high $158 million, and last year’sThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1with $121.8 million. The franchise has taken in $2.2 billion worldwide since opening just three years ago, and whileThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2may be the end of Katniss' (Jennifer Lawrence) story, there have been rumors of spinoffs and other sequels that are being developed by Lionsgate.
With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) confronts President Snow (Donald Sutherland) in the final showdown. Teamed with a group of her closest friends - including Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Finnick (Sam Claflin), and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) - Katniss goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to stage an assassination attempt on President Snow who has become increasingly obsessed with destroying her. The mortal traps, enemies, and moral choices that await Katniss will challenge her more than any arena she faced inThe Hunger Games.
Spectreis expected to drop to second place during its third weekend with a predicted $16.7 million.Spectreshould have no trouble reaching $200 million or possibly even $300 million domestically, but this action-packed adventure is really raking it in overseas. The blockbuster has taken in $413.8 million in international markets for a current worldwide tally of $542.8 million after just two weeks in theaters. It’s certainly possible that it could become only the second 007 movie to crack the $1 billion worldwide landmark, following 2012’sSkyfall.
The Night Beforeis expected to open in third place with $15 million. The new comedy starsSeth Rogen,Joseph Gordon-LevittandAnthony Mackieas three friends who gather together every year on Christmas Eve, a tradition that is about to come to an end. They set out to find what is known as the Holy Grail of Christmas parties to bring their tradition to a close with a bang. The supporting cast includesLizzy Caplan,Jillian Bell,Ilana Glazer,Randall ParkandMichael Shannon.The Peanuts Movieis expected to drop to fourth place with $14.8 million, withSecret in Their Eyesrounding out the top 5 with $9.5 million.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2is expected to open in more than 4,000 theaters this weekend, followed byThe Night Beforewith 2,700 theaters andSecret in Their Eyeswith 2,400 theaters.The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2is already scoring big with critics, earning a healthy 81% “Fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes, withThe Night Beforeearning a respectable 71% “Fresh” rating. There aren’t enough reviews available forSecret in Their Eyes, which features an all-star cast ofJulia Roberts,Nicole Kidman,Chiwetel Ejiofor,Michael KellyandDean Norris. The thriller follows an FBI investigator (Julia Roberts) whose daughter has been kidnapped.
Rounding out the top 10 will beLove the Coopers($4.3 million),The Martian($3.8 million),The 33($2.9 million),Goosebumps($2.2 million) andBridge of Spies($2 million). The little-known Bollywood musical Prem Ratan Dhan Payo made a surprise splash by cracking the top 10 last weekend, taking eighth place with $2.4 million. The film only opened in 287 theaters, bringing in an impressive $8,452 per-screen average, but unless there are plans for a significant theater expansion, it isn’t expected to crack the top 10 in its second weekend. The film stars Salman Khan as a prince who is recovering from an assassination attempt, four days after his coronation, who is replaced by a benevolent lookalike.
Also opening in limited release isCarol, starringCate BlanchettandRooney Mara,LegendstarringTom Hardy, which expands nationwide on December 11,#HorrorstarringChloë SevignyandTimothy Huttonand Mediterranea.Carolis considered an early awards season favorite, after debuting at the Cannes Film Festival this May and hitting thefilm festivalcircuit throughout the summer. BothCarolandLegendare opening in four theaters this weekend, but unlikeLegend, it isn’t known if there are plans to expandCarolnationwide.
Looking ahead to next weekend, three new movies will open in wide release, Warner Bros.‘CreedstarringSylvester StalloneandMichael B. Jordan, 20th Century Fox’sVictor FrankensteinstarringDaniel RadcliffeandJames McAvoy, and Pixar’sThe Good Dinosaur. All three films will open this Wednesday, November 25, just before the Thanksgiving holiday, with three more films opening in limited release on Friday, November 27.The Danish Girl, another awards season contender starringEddie Redmayne,Alicia VikanderandAmber Heard, opens alongside a pair ofdocumentaries, Janis: Little Girl Blue andKilling them Safely. Take a look at the box office projections for the weekend of November 20, and check back Sunday for the estimates.
