Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio unleash their latest collaboration The Wolf of Wall Street (reviews) Ben Stiller lives The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (reviews) Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro stage a Grudge Match (reviews) to settle an old score. Keanu Reeves fights for honor in 47 Ronin (reviews) Peter Berg brings the powerful non-fiction book by Marcus Luttrell called Lone Survivor (reviews) to the screen in limited release--going wide on January 10.
Pamela McClintock of THR:
If pre-release tracking and advance ticket sales are any indication, the Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer The Wolf of Wall Street should lead the glut of new films hoping to spin the year-end holidays into gold after launching on Dec. 25, when moviegoing surges in the afternoon and remains vibrant until people return to work and school in the new year.
One title facing a formidable challenge is Universal's long-delayed 47 Ronin, which cost at least $175 million to make. The samurai epic, starring Keanu Reeves, appears destined to lose money for its financiers, considering it needs to earn hundreds of millions of dollars globally. The movie, originally set to open in November 2012, is off to a soft start in several key Asian markets, including Japan, and it could have trouble reaching $20 million in its five-day domestic debut.
Although Christmas films don't necessarily need huge openings -- instead, they can enjoy incredible multiples -- that's a dismal number, considering 47 Ronin's price tag. The movie, co-financed by Universal and Elliot, is garnering strong interest from younger males, but box office observers expect it to have a sizeable drop-off after one or two days.
Wolf of Wall Street, already a critical and awards darling, is the latest outing for director Martin Scorsese and cost north of $100 million to make (fully financed by Red Granite Pictures). The movie is based on the memoir by Wall Street bad-boy Jordan Belfort (DiCaprio), notorious for his sexual escapades and drug use.
Paramount is releasing and marketing Wolf of Wall Street, which barely received an R rating (Scorsese agreed to trim certain sex scenes in order to avoid getting slapped with an NC-17). The big question is whether the movie, expected to do especially well on both coasts, will play in America's heartland. Sporting a running time of two hours and fifty-nine minutes, Wolf marks Scorsese's longest film by a minute after Casino.
Wolf of Wall Street is expected to earn at least $30 million between Wednesday and Sunday, putting it on course to earn upward of $100 million domestically and ahead of the openings of 47 Ronin and the four other films likewise opening Christmas Day: Ben Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the Sylvestor Stallone-Robert De Niro comedy Grudge Match, Justin Bieber's concert doc Believe and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Starring Idris Elba as the iconic civil-rights leader, the biopic opened earlier this month in New York and Los Angeles on the eve of Nelson Mandela's death.
That's not to mention a strong crop of holdovers also competing for holiday moviegoers, led by The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Frozen, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, American Hustle and Saving Mr. Banks.
Desolation of Smaug is likely to lead the Wednesday-Sunday box office overall, while Wolf of Wall Street is likely to compete with Frozen and Anchorman 2 for the next spots on the box office chart. By Sunday, Anchorman 2, also a Paramount title, is expected to have eclipsed the $85.8 million earned in total domestically by Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy (Anchorman 2 should ultimately get to $125 million).
Mitty, from 20th Century Fox and costing $91 million to make, Warner Bros.' $40 million Grudge Match and Ronin could end up in a close race and gross in the $17 million to $20 million range for the five-day stretch.
Directed by and starring Stiller, Mitty hopes to attract families because of its friendly PG rating, and also stars Kristen Wiig and Sean Penn. Warner insiders are likewise hopeful that Grudge Match will play across the generations and pull ahead of the pack.
Despite Bieber's ardent fan base, Believe could prove a disappointment. The concert biopic, costing at least $5 million to make, may only earn $10 million in its debut (his first concert film debuted to nearly $30 million). Open Road Films is launching the film in just over 1,000 theaters, and kept its marketing spend to a modest $5 million.
Mandela will likewise only be playing in roughly 1,000 theaters and is among numerous award contenders looking to boost their campaigns with a prominent Christmas run, but this means fierce competition for adult moviegoers.
Some contenders are opting to open in limited runs over the holidays, versus rolling out nationwide. They include Pete Berg's Lone Survivor and Ralph Fiennes' The Invisible Woman, both of which open in New York and Los Angeles on Christmas Day. On Friday, John Wells' August: Osage County launches in select cities.
Plans are in motion to see "Wolf" with members of my Movie Posse on Friday....My Review will soon follow
No comments:
Post a Comment