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Shall we twiddle our thumbs until “The Hobbit?” Well, we
have no choice really, as the major studios are on a two-week paid holiday. With
such multiplex momentum built up, it’s questionable at best that after the Thanksgiving
feast, there is always a film famine. But, such is the case at the box office
this weekend as just one, nay, two films open in wide release, yet neither is
expected to put up much of a fight for the top spot.
Weinstein unloads the Brad Pitt crime thriller “Killing Them
Softly” in 2,424 theaters—one of his lowest counts for a wide release
since “Fight Club” debuted with $11M in 1,963 theaters back in 1999. While, LD
Distribution attempts a return to torture-porn with the hardcore horror flick, “The
Collection.”
The trailer for “Killing Them Softly” looks decent enough, however
the R-rating will certainly limit the audience to some degree. Reviews have
been solid though, as the Rotten Tomato meter currently tilts toward 84% fresh.
“Killing Them Softly” comes from director Andrew Dominik who
helmed the critically acclaimed, yet box office misfire, “The Assassination of
Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.”
Although many of the producers site the reason the film wasn’t seen was simply
because the title couldn’t fit on marquees, its undeniable the 2007 western was
shot dead by audiences, grossing under $4 million. Expect Pitt to hunt down around $12
million this go-round.
“The Collection” is actually a sequel to 2009’s “The
Collector.” What? How could you not have known? Have you let your Fangoria
subscription lapse? Un-axe-ceptable! No worries, I scarcely even remembered it
as Freestyle Releasing slipped that gory gem in and out of theaters during the
late summer, debuting with $3.5 million and grossing out $7.7 million total.
For what it’s worth, the sequel brings back the original
stars and creative team, but also carries a budget of $10 million, versus the
original’s $3.5 million. Once conceived as a prequel to “Saw,” this should give
you everything you need to know about LD’s chill pill. Advertising has been
pretty heavy for an indie release and depending on the theater count, could
carve out $3-$4 million or so.
That means it’s a toss-up for the top spot, as “Skyfall,” “Twilight”
and even “Rise of the Guardians,” “Life of Pi” and “Lincoln” all have
legitimate shots to claim #1 depending on how good their holds are. However, as
the highest grossing Bond flick of all-time, I’m putting my money on 007, which
is still just killing it.
WEEKEND ESTIMATES
1. Skyfall - $19M
2. Twilight: BDp2 - $18M
3. Rise of the Guardians - $17M
4. Life of Pi - $17M
5. Lincoln - $16M
(Nov 29, 2012) - Comments (5)
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