Box Office Preview: Back From The Dead

This weekend at the cineplex: Director Fede Alvarez unleashes the buzz-worthy Evil Dead (reviews) remake to the masses; The dinosaurs of Jurassic Park (reviews) roam again this time in 3-D and IMAX...Both of which want to cause trouble for the action sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation (reviews)

Pamela McClintock of THR sets the table for the weekend frame:

Blasts from the past overtake the box office this weekend as Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park 3D and the remake of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead head for the multiplex.

Produced by Raimi's Ghost House, Evil Dead has a strong shot of winning the weekend for Sony/TriStar and FilmDistrict with a gross in the $22 million range or better, depending upon how Paramount's G.I. Joe: Retaliation performs in its second outing.

Raimi tapped Fede Alvarez to direct the remake, which follows five friends who awaken a demonic presence while visiting a cabin in rural Massachusetts. The remake, costing $17 million to make, also opens this weekend in 19 foreign markets.

Box-office observers believe that Universal's 3D redo of Jurassic Park could earn $15 million for the weekend, though 3D rereleases are tricky to predict and have a mixed track record. The $10 million makeover was personally supervised by Spielberg, whose classic dinosaur action pic celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

Universal is using the rerelease to prime audiences for Jurassic Park IV, which opens in June 2014 (Spielberg is producing but not directing).

G.I. Joe, which has grossed nearly $150 million globally through Wednesday, could take in another $20 million domestically to place No. 2 for the weekend, followed by DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox's animated tentpole The Croods, which will cross the $300 million mark worldwide during the weekend.

Thanks to many kids being out of school for spring break, Croods has done strong midweek business to place No. 1. The film's global take through Wednesday is $272 million.

New offerings at the specialty box office include Danny Boyle's drama-thriller Trance, which Fox Searchlight launches in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles.

The British film stars James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel. Trance revolves around a fine-art auctioneer who is involved in stealing a painting but develops amnesia and can't remember the details.