Even "The Vow?"
Here’s how they’re projecting a tight one right now (breakdown of numbers courtesy of Deadline):
1. Safe House (Universal) Week 3 [3,121 Theaters]
3-Day Weekend $23.9M (40%), Est 4-Day Holiday $28.5M
2. The Vow (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 2 [2,958 Theaters]
3-Day Weekend $23.6M (-43%), Est 4-Day Holiday $27.4M
3. Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance 3D (Sony) NEW [3,174 Theaters]
3-Day Weekend $22M, Est 4-day Holiday $25.5M
4. Journey 2: Mysterious Island 3D (Warner Bros) Week 2 [3,500 Theaters]
3-Day Weekend $20M (-27%), Est 4-Day Holiday $25.7M
5. This Means War (Fox) NEW [3,189 Theaters]
3-Day Weekend $17.5M, Est 4-Day Holiday $20.7M, Est Cume $22.2M
Even if “Safe House” officially wins the weekend (and it’s still too close to call), “The Vow” unofficially wins it; if all the people who went to see that movie on Valentine’s Day had gone on the weekend instead, then “The Vow” would have trampled “Safe House.” Nothing against “Safe House,” but the weepie movie with Channing Tatum is beating the Denzel and Ryan Reynolds duel. Clearly Reynolds does not take his shirt off enough in “Safe House.”
In the end, it’s a good weekend for both, though, and a good weekend for movies overall with total box office up 4% over last year’s President’s Weekend. Of the new movies, “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,” was okay, not great, not a bust; as predicted, “This Means War” went nowhere. There have been bigger busts, but it certainly can’t feel good to be beaten by “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.”
Next week: the big opener is the semi-real Navy SEAL movie, “Act of Valor.” Tyler Perry makes his annual appearance with “Good Deeds,” and Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd try a smaller release with “Wanderlust.” It’s hard to bet against Perry, but expect the SEALs to give him a run for his money.
