Tag: Tobe Hooper

Poltergeist Box Office Prediction

This Friday, yet another remake/reboot of a classic horror entry comes to us as Poltergeist is released. 20th Century Fox is hopeful that the brand name will bring moviegoers in over the long Memorial Day weekend. It’s been 33 years since the Tobe Hooper directed and Steven Spielberg produced original and this reboot stars Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie Dewitt, and Jared Harris.

The high profile May release is a bit surprising and one wonders if this might have been better geared toward an October rollout. Truthfully, this seems to be flying a bit under the radar and is likely to settle for a second place debut at best behind Tomorrowland and maybe behind holdovers Pitch Perfect 2 and Mad Max: Fury Road. Certainly this could over perform, but that possibility is not reflected in my estimate.

Poltergeist opening weekend prediction: $22.5 million (Friday to Sunday prediction), $29.3 million (Friday to Monday prediction)

For my Tomorrowland prediction, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2015/05/15/tomorrowland-box-office-prediction/

This Day in Movie History: January 25

Six years ago Today in Movie History – January 25 – Sylvester Stallone returned to one of his most iconic roles in Rambo, the fourth installment of the franchise which came 20 years after the third. Directed by it star, Rambo opened to #2 at the box office with a solid $18.2 million on its way to a domestic take of $42 million. We haven’t seen Sly in the role since but he did start yet another successful franchise afterwards with The Expendables.

As for birthdays, Dean Jones is 83 today. He’s best known for starring in a number of Disney live-action features in the 1960s and 1970s including That Darn Cat!, The Love Bug, and The Shaggy D.A. In more recent years, Jones was seen in Beethoven and alongside Harrison Ford in Clear and Present Danger.

Director Tobe Hooper is 71 on this day. He made a major impact in the horror genre directing the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974. The director would return to direct 1986’s sequel. Hooper would have another huge hit in 1982 with Poltergeist.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between Mr. Jones and Mr. Hooper:

Dean Jones was in Clear and Present Danger with Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford was in Anchorman 2 with Will Ferrell

Will Ferrell was in Blades of Glory with Craig T. Nelson

Craig T. Nelson was directed by Tobe Hooper in Poltergeist

And that’s today – January 25 – in Movie History!