Box Office Predictions: January 17-20

Four new titles populate multiplexes this Friday over the four-day MLK weekend – Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Ride Along, Devil’s Due, and The Nut Job. You can peruse my prediction posts on each one of them at the following links:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/12/jack-ryan-shadow-recruit-box-office-prediction/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/12/ride-along-box-office-prediction/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/12/devils-due-box-office-prediction/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/12/the-nut-job-box-office-prediction/

The big question is: can any of these releases knock off Lone Survivor from staying at #1 for the second weekend? The Mark Wahlberg Navy SEAL pic had the second highest January debut of all time, far surpassing the box office predictions of prognosticators, including this one. With its remarkable A+ Cinemascore average, word of mouth on Survivor is very strong and it should hold up quite well in weekend number two.

The 2014 MLK weekend may well resemble the same one from five years ago when four new releases all posted healthy debuts. There was Paul Blart: Mall Cop which made $39 million over the four-day while My Bloody Valentine 3D, Notorious, and Hotel for Dogs all posted openings of over $20 million. The four new titles this year I have pegged at between $17-$25 million each, but any of them could do better and take top honors from Wahlberg and company. My predictions do not reflect that though and I believe Lone Survivor should stay alone at the top spot.

And with that, my predictions for the holiday weekend’s top five for the four-day Friday to Monday frame:

1. Lone Survivor

Predicted Gross: $30.4 million (representing a drop of 19%)

2. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Predicted Gross: $25.6 million

3. Ride Along

Predicted Gross: $21.4 million

4. The Nut Job

Predicted Gross: $19.6 million

5. Devil’s Due

Predicted Gross: $17.1 million

My Results from Last Weekend (January 10-12):

As I mentioned, Lone Survivor went beyond expectations with a terrific debut of $37.8 million, well ahead of my paltry $21.7M projection. Disney’s Frozen stayed at #2 with $14.7 million, a bit higher than my estimate of $13.5M. The Legend of Hercules debuted at third with a disappointing $8.8 million, below my $11.9M prediction. The Wolf of Wall Street was fourth, also with $8.8 million – right in line with my $8.5M estimate. American Hustle was fifth with $8.3 million and I incorrectly did not have it the top five. The six spot belonged to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug with $8 million, just under my $8.4M projection.

Finally, two Oscar hopefuls expanded their theater counts with different results. August: Osage County was seventh with a solid $7.1 million on only around 900 screens, beyond my $5.8M projection. Her was a disappointment, managing only $5.3 million for an 11th place showing, well below my $8.3M estimate.

And that’s all for now, folks! I’ll have updates posted on the blog’s Facebook page throughout the holiday weekend with final results next week.

The Nut Job Box Office Prediction

While Disney’s Frozen continues to post impressive numbers after several weeks in release, another animated tale debuts Friday with The Nut Job. This is the first animated feature from Open Roads Films with the Weinstein Company picking up international distribution. Featuring the voices of Will Arnett, Brendan Fraser, Liam Neeson, and Katherine Heigl, the squirrel flick is certainly nowhere near the stratosphere of any Pixar or Disney product or anything like the Despicable Me series.

Still, family audiences could be on the lookout for something new as Frozen has been out for quite a while now. Having said that, this is certainly on the B team of animated movies and I wouldn’t expect anything too high. Anything over $25 million for the four day MLK weekend would be surprising. I expect it to follow the pattern of another “B team” animated entry – last year’s Escape from Planet Earth. That film earned $15.8 million over the three day portion of 2013’s President’s Day weekend and $21.1 million for the four day holiday time frame. That seems like a fairly reasonable range for The Nut Job, but I will predict this falls a bit under that.

The Nut Job opening weekend prediction: $19.6 million (Friday-to-Monday)

For my prediction on Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/12/jack-ryan-shadow-recruit-box-office-prediction/

For my prediction on Ride Along, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/12/ride-along-box-office-prediction/

For my prediction on Devil’s Due, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/12/devils-due-box-office-prediction/

Devil’s Due Box Office Prediction

The found footage horror flick Devil’s Due delivers itself unto theaters this Friday. When looking at horror titles released in January, there’s plenty of them to look at for comparisons sake.

Two years ago, The Devil Inside (a similarly themed movie) hauled in an incredible $33.7 million in its debut. There’s also genre pics that opened over the same MLK holiday weekend: in 2009, My Blood Valentine 3D opened to $24.1 million over the four-day and just last year, Mama premiered to a terrific $32.1 million over that time frame. Another similar title, 2009’s The Unborn, debuted to $20.8 million in January.

Then there’s the flipside. Just last weekend, found footage sequel Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones debuted to a less than expected $18.3 million. Audiences may be tiring of being fed the same movie over and over again and Devil’s Due looks like it might fall under that category. Horror films are notoriously difficult to predict. Devil’s Due has the potential to reach the heights of The Devil Inside or Mama, but I don’t believe it will. The film could also tank and struggle to reach double digits. I think it will perform similar to yet another January horror flick from 2011 – The Rite, which made $14.7 million for its opening. I am predicting a mid teens debut for the three-day and higher teens for the four-day.

Devil’s Due opening weekend prediction: $17.1 million (Friday-to-Monday)

For my prediction on Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/12/jack-ryan-shadow-recruit-box-office-prediction/

For my prediction on Ride Along, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/12/ride-along-box-office-prediction/

For my prediction on The Nut Job, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/12/the-nut-job-box-office-prediction/

Ride Along Box Office Prediction

Ice Cube and Kevin Hart team up for the action comedy Ride Along, out Friday. Both performers have had a history of solid box office returns. Just two years ago, Hart headlined Think Like a Man, which debuted in April 2012 to an astonishing $33.6 million opening. Ice Cube has seen his Barbershop pictures and family titles like Are There We Yet? and sequel Are We Done Yet? all debut in the mid teen to low 20s range.

The range for how Ride Along could perform is pretty wide. I wouldn’t be too surprised if it approached an opening around $30 million for the four-day MLK weekend. However, the amount of competition out there that includes Lone Survivor, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, and Devil’s Due might bring those numbers below that. A more likely scenario in my mind is a three-day debut in the high teens with a four-day holiday gross in the low 20s. It is worth noting, though, that these actors have had larger than expected premieres before, so you never know.

Ride Along opening weekend prediction: $21.4 million (Friday-to-Monday)

For my prediction on Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/12/jack-ryan-shadow-recruit-box-office-prediction/

For my prediction on Devil’s Due, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/12/devils-due-box-office-prediction/

For my prediction on The Nut Job, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/12/the-nut-job-box-office-prediction/

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Box Office Prediction

After nearly twelve years away from the screen, the character of CIA agent Jack Ryan returns with the fourth actor playing the role in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, out Friday. We’ve had Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck in the part and now it’s Chris Pine’s turn.

Based on the works of the late Tom Clancy, Shadow Recruit is the first Ryan pic not specifically based on one of his books. Kenneth Branagh, who most recently directed the first Thor movie, is behind the camera. Kevin Costner and Keira Knightley costar. As mentioned, it’s been since May 2002 when Affleck starred in The Sum of All Fears. This franchise has been rather consistent in its grosses. Here’s a rundown:

1990: The Hunt for Red October – opening: $17.1 million. Total domestic gross: $122 million.

1992: Patriot Games – opening: $18.5 million. Total domestic gross: $83.3 million.

1994: Clear and Present Danger – opening: $20.3 million. Total domestic gross: $122.1 million.

2002: The Sum of All Fears – opening: $31.1 million. Total domestic gross: $118.9 million.

Shadow Recruit was originally scheduled to debut over Christmas but was pushed back to January by Paramount when The Wolf of Wall Street was delayed to the holiday weekend. It will be interesting to see how the long gap between Ryan features affects its gross. While the previous entries have been solid grossers, I don’t really feel that there was a big clamoring for another installment. When the Bourne franchise shuffled the deck and put Jeremy Renner in the role with Matt Damon out, it opened with a solid $38 million in 2012. Yet that was far below what previous Bourne flicks had accomplished. And that franchise was more current with audiences as well. Recruit probably won’t reach the heights of what Bourne did two years ago. Chris Pine likely doesn’t have the star power to guarantee a huge opening. His other franchise, Star Trek, already has a built-in audience.

And then there’s the competition factor, which is significant. Lone Survivor just had the second biggest January opening of all time and it should continue to play well in its sophomore weekend. Recruit is going after the same crowd that Survivor appeals to. And there’s also Ride Along, Devil’s Due, and The Nut Job all opening which cater to African-American, horror, and family audiences, respectively.

Add all that up and I expect Recruit to have a respectable though unspectacular debut over the four day MLK weekend.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit opening weekend prediction: $25.6 million (Friday-to-Monday)

For my prediction on Ride Along, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/12/ride-along-box-office-prediction/

For my prediction on Devil’s Due, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/12/devils-due-box-office-prediction/

For my prediction on The Nut Job, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/12/the-nut-job-box-office-prediction/

This Day in Movie History: January 12

Thirteen years ago Today in Movie History – January 12 – marked the release of Save the Last Dance, produced by MTV Films. The hip hop dance flick with Julia Stiles helped kick start a genre of similar pictures when it debuted with a very surprising $27.5 million over the Martin Luther King holiday on its way to a $91 million domestic haul. It also spawned a direct to DVD sequel.

As for birthdays, the King of All Media Howard Stern is 60 years old today. We know Howard most for his landmark radio show and currently as a judge on “America’s Got Talent”, but seventeen years ago his media domination extended to film. Stern teamed with producer Ivan Reitman and director Betty Thomas for the autobiographical comedy Private Parts, based on his bestseller. It topped the box office in March 1997 and ended up earning $41 million domestic. The picture also gave the first prominent role to Paul Giamatti as Pig Vomit, whose performance was a highlight.

Kirstie Alley is 63 today. She’s also known more for her TV work with “Cheers”, but her movie debut was 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. There’s also the financially successful Look Who’s Talking franchise and less successful comedies like Sibling Rivalry and Mad House.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between the two:

Howard Stern was in Private Parts with Paul Giamatti

Paul Giamatti was in The Negotiator with Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson was in Pulp Fiction with John Travolta

John Travolta was in Look Who’s Talking with Kirstie Alley

And that’s today – January 12 – in Movie History!

2014 Oscar Predictions: Todd’s FINAL Predictions

The time has come to make my FINAL predictions for the Oscars. Nominations will be out on Thursday and I’m predicting every category that involves feature films. Therefore, the animated and documentary short films will not be predicted. I have written extensively about why I’m predicting certain movies, performers, and so on. That time is over. Here is my final listing of what and who I believe will be honored. The predictions are written by order of chances of nomination and I am listing runner-ups for each race in case some of my picks don’t pan out (which is guaranteed to happen). And here we go:

BEST PICTURE

1. 12 Years a Slave

2. Gravity

3. American Hustle

4. Nebraska

5. Inside Llewyn Davis

6. Her

7. Captain Phillips

8. The Wolf of Wall Street

9. Dallas Buyer’s Club

Runner-Ups:

10. Saving Mr. Banks

11. Philomena

12. Blue Jasmine

13. Lee Daniels’ The Butler

14. August: Osage County

15. Lone Survivor

16. Fruitvale Station

BEST DIRECTOR

1. Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity

2. Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave

3. David O. Russell, American Hustle

4. Alexander Payne, Nebraska

5. Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street

Runner-Ups:

6. Spike Jonze, Her

7. Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips

8. Joel and Ethan Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis

BEST ACTOR

1. Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave

2. Bruce Dern, Nebraska

3. Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyer’s Club

4. Robert Redford, All is Lost

5. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street

Runner-Ups:

6. Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips

7. Christian Bale, American Hustle

8. Joaquin Phoenix, Her

9. Forest Whitaker, Lee Daniels’ The Butler

BEST ACTRESS

1. Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

2. Sandra Bullock, Gravity

3. Judi Dench, Philomena

4. Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks

5. Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Runner-Ups:

6. Amy Adams, American Hustle

7. Adele Exarchopoulos, Blue is the Warmest Colour

8. Brie Larson, Short Term 12

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

1. Jared Leto, Dallas Buyer’s Club

2. Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave

3. Bradley Cooper, American Hustle

4. Daniel Bruhl, Rush

5. Will Forte, Nebraska

Runner-Ups:

6. Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips

7. Tom Hanks, Saving Mr. Banks

8. James Gandolfini, Enough Said

9. Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

1. Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave

2. Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

3. June Squibb, Nebraska

4. Oprah Winfrey, Lee Daniels’ The Butler

5. Julia Roberts, August: Osage County

Runner-Ups:

6. Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine

7. Margo Martindale, August: Osage County

8. Octavia Spencer, Fruitvale Station

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

1. American Hustle

2. Nebraska

3. Inside Llewyn Davis

4. Her

5. Blue Jasmine

Runner-Ups:

6. Dallas Buyer’s Club

7. Gravity

8. Fruitvale Station

9. Lee Daniels’ The Butler

10. Saving Mr. Banks

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

1. 12 Years a Slave

2. Philomena

3. Before Midnight

4. The Wolf of Wall Street

5. Captain Phillips

Runner-Ups:

6. August: Osage County

7. The Book Thief

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

1. Frozen

2. The Wind That Rises

3. Ernest&Celestine

4. Monsters University

5. Despicable Me 2

Runner-Ups:

6. The Croods

7. A Letter to Mono

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

1. 12 Years a Slave

2. The Great Gatsby

3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

4. Gravity

5. The Invisible Woman

Runner-Ups:

6. Saving Mr. Banks

7. Inside Llewyn Davis

8. Oz the Great and Powerful

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

1. Gravity

2. 12 Years a Slave

3. Rush

4. Inside Llewyn Davis

5. Captain Phillips

Runner-Ups:

6. Nebraska

7. All is Lost

8. Prisoners

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

1. The Great Gatsby

2. American Hustle

3. 12 Years a Slave

4. The Invisible Woman

5. The Book Thief

Runner-Ups:

6. Saving Mr. Banks

7. Oz the Great and Powerful

BEST FILM EDITING

1. Gravity

2. 12 Years a Slave

3. American Hustle

4. Captain Phillips

5. Rush

Runner-Ups:

6. The Wolf of Wall Street

7. Inside Llewyn Davis

8. Lone Survivor

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

1. American Hustle

2. The Lone Ranger

3. The Great Gatsby

Runner-Ups:

4. Dallas Buyer’s Club

5. Jackass Presents Bad Grandpa

BEST SOUND MIXING

1. Gravity

2. Rush

3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

4. Captain Phillips

5. Lone Survivor

Runner-Ups:

6. All is Lost

7. Inside Llewyn Davis

8. 12 Years a Slave

BEST SOUND EDITING

1. Gravity

2. Captain Phillips

3. Rush

4. Pacific Rim

5. All is Lost

Runner-Ups:

6. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

7. Lone Survivor

8. Man of Steel

9. World War Z

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

1. Gravity

2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

3. Pacific Rim

4. Iron Man 3

5. World War Z

Runner-Ups:

6. Star Trek Into Darkness

7. Elysium

8. Oblivion

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

1. 12 Years a Slave

2. Gravity

3. The Book Thief

4. Saving Mr. Banks

5. Her

Runner-Ups:

6. Monsters University

7. All is Lost

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

1. “Let It Go” from Frozen

2. “Ordinary Love” from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

3. “Young and Beautiful” from The Great Gatsby

4. “In the Middle of the Night” from Lee Daniels’ The Butler

5. “The Moon Song” from Her

Runner-Ups:

6. “So You Know What It’s Like” from Short Term 12

7. “Rise Up” from Epic

8. “Sweeter than Fiction” from One Chance

I’m not listing alternates for the final two predicted categories, mostly because I’m supremely not confident with my limited knowledge for these races.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

The Broken Circle Breakdown

The Grandmaster

The Great Beauty

The Hunt

Omar

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

The Act of Killing

Blackfish

The Square

Stories We Tell

20 Feet from Stardom

This means my predictions would garner the following number of nominations for these pictures:

10 Nominations – 12 Years a Slave, Gravity

8 Nominations – American Hustle

6 Nominations – Captain Phillips, Nebraska

5 Nominations – Rush

4 Nominations – The Great Gatsby, Her, The Wolf of Wall Street

3 Nominations – Dallas Buyer’s Club, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Inside Llewyn Davis

2 Nominations – All is Lost, August: Osage County, Blue Jasmine, The Book Thief, Frozen, The Invisible Woman, Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Pacific Rim, Philomena, Saving Mr. Banks

1 Nomination – Iron Man 3, The Lone Ranger, Lone Survivor, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, World War Z

And there you have Todd’s final Oscar predictions. I will have reaction in a blog post Thursday once nominations are released and include a tally of how I did!

This Day in Movie History: January 11

29 years ago today in Movie History – January 11 – Beverly Hills Cop with Eddie Murphy would top the box office in its sixth weekend while on its way to breaking various records. Cop was released at the height of Murphy’s super stardom. He’d already had significant successes with 48 HRS. and Trading Places, but Beverly Hills Cop turned him into the biggest movie star in America. The film would end up grossing $234 million domestically, making it 1984’s highest domestic grosser and the biggest earning R-rated picture of all time. That record would stand for almost two decades until 2003’s The Matrix Reloaded. The inevitable sequel in 1987 would post solid numbers with $153 million. By the time part 3 came out in 1994, Murphy’s career was on the downslide and a meager $42 million domestic gross would result. The actor’s inability to turn the third installment into a hit and the following year’s bomb Vampire in Brooklyn had some wondering if Murphy’s career was over, but 1996’s The Nutty Professor would revive his standing with audiences.

As for birthdays, Rod Taylor turns 84 today. He is best known for his leading man roles in 1960’s The Time Machine and especially in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1963 pic The Birds. He would continue to work in movies and TV for decades. Recently, Quentin Tarantino was able to coax him out of retirement to play Winston Churchill in an important sequence alongside Mike Myers and Michael Fassbender in 2009’s Inglourious Basterds.

Amanda Peet is 42 today. She first became known to moviegoers as Matthew Perry’s dental assistant turned aspiring hit woman in The Whole Nine Yards. Since then, she’s appeared in various pics from Saving Silverman to Changing Lanes to Igby Goes Down to Something’s Gotta Give to Syriana to 2012.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between the two:

Rod Taylor was in Inglourious Basterds with Brad Pitt

Brad Pit was in 12 Monkeys with Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis was in The Whole Nine Yards with Amanda Peet

And that’s today – January 11 – in Movie History!

This Day in Movie History: January 10

22 years ago today in Movie History – January 10 – marked the release of Curtis Hanson’s The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, starring Rebecca De Mornay and Annabella Sciorra. The film followed the tenants of a subgenre best described as “the BLANK from Hell” in which this one could be described as “The Nanny from Hell”. De Mornay portrayed that nanny and Sciorra was her tormentee. 1992 was a popular year for such titles including “The Teenager From Hell” (Poison Ivy), “The Cop From Hell” (Unlawful Entry), and “The Roommate From Hell” (Single White Female). Cradle was an unexpected box office smash, grossing $88 million domestically. De Mornay would go onto less regarded thrillers such as Guilty as Sin and Never Talk to Strangers. Her most notable film appearance in recent years was alongside Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, and Dwight Yoakam in the opening sequence to Wedding Crashers. Sciorra’s film career would fizzle as well but she did have a significant stint playing Tony’s mistress on “The Sopranos”. In fact, it’s some other females in the cast who would go onto bigger things. Playing Sciorra’s friend who met a rather ghastly demise at the hands of De Mornay was an actress in just her second film role named Julianne Moore. Playing Sciorra’s daugheter was Madeline Zima, just six years old at the time. Soon aftewards she would be cast in the popular Fran Drescher sitcom “The Nanny” and recently was in a much more adult role on Showtime’s “Californication”. And Ernie Hudson played a mentally challenged house worker, giving him at least one memorable role other than being the Ghostbuster nobody talks about. Finally, the director Curtis Hanson would move to directing such noteworthy pictures as The River Wild, L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys, and 8 Mile.

As for birthdays, today marks the 72nd birthday of director/screenwriter Walter Hill. Mr. Hill is known on the screenwriting side for working on Aliens and Alien 3 and the 1972 Steve McQueen hit The Getaway. His directing credits include hits like 48 HRS. and its sequel Another 48 HRS. and the 1979 cult classic The Warriors. He directed Richard Pryor in the comedy Brewster’s Millions, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Belushi in Red Heat, and Bruce Willis in Last Man Standing. One of his lesser known features is 1992’s Trespass with Ice Cube, Bill Paxton, Ice-T, and William Sadler but it’s a solid B flick that is worth seeking out. His latest effort was the Sylvester Stallone disappointment Bullet to the Head.

Evan Handler is 53 today. He’s more known for his TV work, including appearing on “Californication” with Madeline Zima from The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. His best known TV role is as Charlotte’s husband Harry on “Sex and the City”. He would reprise that role in the hit Sex and the City movie and its less successful sequel. Other film roles include 1981’s Taps and 1996’s Ransom, in which he played one of the kidnappers.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between our birthdays subjects –

Walter Hill directed Bruce Willis in Last Man Standing

Bruce Willis was in Striking Distance with Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker was in Sex and the City with Evan Handler

And that’s today – January 10 – in Movie History!

August: Osage County Box Office Prediction

Opening tomorrow in approximately 900 theaters is August: Osage County, which is based on a Pulitzer Prize winning play and features a cast of acting heavyweights. For many months, John Wells’ drama/comedy from the Weinstein Company was looked at as a potential Oscar favorite. While it stands a remote shot at a Best Picture nomination, reviews have been mixed and it currently stands at 64% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Stars Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts stand better chances at Academy Award nominations. County‘s co-stars include Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Abigail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis, and Margo Martindale in this tale of a dysfunctional family and their secrets.

The picture has one thing in its favor: while Lone Survivor and The Legend of Hercules are more geared toward male viewers, this is hoping to bring out females. It has more things not in its favor: Oscar hopeful Her is also expanding this weekend and could nab a larger portion of the female crowd. It’s only opening on approximately 900 screens, which will diminish its gross. And, most importantly, the awards buzz never reached anywhere near the level that the studio was hoping for.

Add all that up and I expect August: Osage County to post an OK but rather unimpressive debut in its expansion.

August: Osage County opening weekend prediction: $5.8 million

Blogger’s Note: Followers of this site may know that my box office predictions for the following weekend’s films are always posted on the prior Sunday. August: Osage County is an exception because it wasn’t until today that I knew approximately how many theaters the picture was debuting in. My normal Sunday predictions will continue to be the always preferred method.

For my prediction on Lone Survivor, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/05/lone-survivor-box-office-prediction/

For my prediction on The Legend of Hercules, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/05/the-legend-of-hercules-box-office-prediction/

For my prediction on Her, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/01/05/her-box-office-prediction/