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Friday, February 03, 2012

Movies VS The Superbowl

Normally the box office is pretty quiet during Super Bowl weekend--not this year--All three of this weekend's new wide releases at the cineplex are getting good reviews--with high profile stars or concepts to woo ticket buyers...

Daniel Radcliffe sees the mysterious Woman In Black; (reviewsDrew Barrymore and John Krasinski witness one Big Miracle  (reviews) in a true life whale tale; And you can Chronicle (reviews) what happens when three Portland teens (Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan and Alex Russell) get super powers in this found footage pic.

It will be interesting to what the top 10 looks like come game time when the preliminary numbers come in...




Pamela McClintock

Twentieth Century Fox's genre superpowers pic Chronicle goes head to head this weekend with CBS Films' horror-thriller The Woman in Black, but both are looking at a narrow playtime because of Super Bowl Sunday.

The third new film of the weekend is Universal's family friendly whale pic Big Miracle, starring Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski. Super Bowl weekend is always a popular landing pad for genre fare, along with family friendly titles like Big Miracle.

Tracking suggests Chronicle and Woman in Black could end up in a relatively close battle for the No. 1 spot, although some give Chronicle a slight edge. They're both expected to open in the low- to mid-teens, although both Fox and CBS Films are giving more conservative estimates. Big Miracle should follow with an opening gross in the high single digits or low teens.

Chronicle, about a group of friends who acquire superpowers and use them to make mischief until one of them begins using them for darker purposes, is tracking best with younger men. Produced for a modest $12 million, the edgy film was directed by Josh Trank and stars Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan and Michael Kelly.

Woman in Black, based on Susan Hill's novel of the same name, was produced by Hammer Film Productions and preemptively acquired by CBS Films just before the Cannes Film Festival last year. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds and Janet McTeer, the ghost story was directed by James Watkins and is showing impressive strength among young women.

Insiders at CBS Films, which acquired Woman in Black for a modest $3 million, say the movie played much broadly than expected during test screenings. Former DreamWorks marketing chief Terry Press is consulting on the marketing of the film.

Universal's campaign for Big Miracle has targeted moms and girls, the latter being the demo least interested in football (that's why Disney opened Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour over Super Bowl weekend).

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