Tolkien goes anime when The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim marches into multiplexes this weekend. Set nearly 200 years before the events of Peter Jackson’s blockbuster trilogy, Kenjii Kamiyama helms the fantasy adventure with Brian Cox, Gaia Wise, Luke Pasqualino, and Miranda Otto providing vocal support.
Word-of-mouth is rather middling with 65% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 58 Metacritic. While the live-action LOTR flicks all received Best Picture noms (with capper The Return of the King winning), Rohirrim appears on the outside looking in. The Animated Feature five already seems set with The Wild Robot, Inside Out 2, Flow, Memoir of a Snail, and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Surprises are always possible, but it won’t be this getting into the race. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
Kraven the Hunter and anime The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim hope to get lucky at the box office this weekend while Moana 2 and Wicked look to maintain the 1-2 spots. You can peruse my detailed prediction posts on the newcomers here:
Kraven arrives after multiple delays amid muted buzz. It will hope for numbers closer to the Venom franchise as opposed to Madame Web, but that could be wishful thinking. My low to mid teens forecast puts in third behind the fourth frame of Wicked.
As for Rings, it could exceed expectations simply due to brand recognition. While some anime fans could turn up in addition to Tolkien aficionados, I have it flopping in fourth barely ahead of Gladiator II.
Moana 2 should manage a third weekend in 1st with a mid 40s decline.
Here’s how I see the high five playing out:
1. Moana 2
Predicted Gross: $27.5 million
2. Wicked
Predicted Gross: $21.7 million
3. Kraven the Hunter
Predicted Gross: $14.8 million
4. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Predicted Gross: $8 million
5. Gladiator II
Predicted Gross: $7.6 million
Box Office Results (December 6-8)
The post Thanksgiving holiday weekend saw even bigger declines than I figured with the top four remaining unchanged. Disney’s Moana 2, after its record shattering debut, fell 63% to $51.2 million compared to my $55.1 million prediction. Nevertheless the Mouse Hunt smash sequel has amassed $299 million since its start.
Wicked was second with $36.4 million (down 55%) and I incorrectly had it holding steadier with $48 million. In three weeks, the Golden Globe nominated Best Musical or Comedy has taken off with an astounding $322 million in three weeks.
Gladiator II was third with $12.5 million, again not matching my loftier $14.8 million projection. Ridley Scott’s follow-up brought its three-week tally to $132 million.
Red One held the four spot at $7 million (I said $7.6 million). The holiday offering continues to inch toward nine digits with $85 million in four weeks.
Finally, epic Indian action fest Pushpa 2: The Rule was fifth with $4.8 million from Friday to Sunday. That didn’t match my $5.9 million expectation though it has made $9.3 million since being unveiled on Wednesday.
A beloved fantasy franchise gets the anime and prequel treatment when The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim debuts December 13th. Set nearly 200 years before the events of Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning trilogy, Kenji Kamiyama directs the animated adventure with Brian Cox, Gala Wise, Luke Pasqualino, and Miranda Otto providing voiceover work.
Obviously there’s a built-in audience for any adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s creations. That makes this estimate tricky. A small portion of moviegoers may turn up not even knowing that it is anime. Some may stay away for that very reason. There’s also Kraven the Hunter opening the same weekend that could siphon off some action fans.
This certainly has the chance to exceed my number, but I’m projecting high single digits for a lackluster showing.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim opening weekend prediction: $8 million
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