Box Office Predictions: January 6-8, 2015
Notable Openings This Weekend: Jupiter Ascending, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, Seventh Son
It’s been a while since my last Box Office Prediction, but all I missed was American Sniper dominating everything. My apologies on not giving you a detailed analysis on Project Almanac. This is a good week to make a triumphant return though as American Sniper actually faces legit competition. We got those crazy Wachowskis back, the Dude, and a ridiculously successful cartoon character who was popular ten years ago, so grab a sponge and let’s dive in!
First off, those nutty Wachowskis. Yes, they made a little film called The Matrix in 1999 that kicked ass. Since then, it’s been an embarrassment of high concept/low reward. I had Jupiter Ascending as my pick for box office bomb of the summer, but Warner Brothers wisely moved it to February. While the buzz on this film is still near laughable, moving it to February actually gives it hope. I’m not expecting a good movie, but due to American Sniper being out four weeks, Jupiter Ascending should make a decent haul relative to what it would have done in July. I know a lot of people are expecting the bomb of all bombs, but to be honest, it will do moderate business and pretty much come and go. With the exception of the Wachowskis, this won’t hurt anyone’s career, or in the case of Eddie Redmayne his Oscar chances.
I really need someone to rationalize for me the need for a SpongeBob movie. I was never a SpongeBob guy, but I understand he was very popular. His last movie did very well, but that was over ten years ago! Unless there’s a SpongeBob resurgence I’m unaware of, aren’t the kids who grew up with him not interested anymore? I don’t get it. The live action angle conjures up some interest, and I’m not saying the film will bomb or anything, but this will come and go pretty fast. The only shot in the arm I’m giving it is that it’s a kid’s movie, so there’s always hope for a massive weekend on that end.
I don’t know what the budget is for Seventh Son, but being that it’s a special effects movie, there is no way the weekend total will justify whatever it is. How many Jack the Giant Slayers, Legend of Hercules, and I, Frankensteins, have to be made before studios realize that nobody gives a crap about these types of films? Yeah, Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore are in it. Great. That didn’t help The Giver. Can we please put a stop to these boring hackneyed mythological fantasy films? This will bomb. Everyone knows it’s going to bomb. So why do people smarter than me continue to make them? Is this based on some novel that ten people read, but posted about it in a message board 900 times a day or something? This will be the last time Seventh Son will ever be mentioned. For crying out loud, enough with this garbage.
HOW WILL IT ALL BREAK DOWN…
Jupiter Ascending is going to surprise some people and make a decent haul, which should be enough to vault it over American Sniper. The kid audience also makes SpongeBob a contender over both these films as well.
1. Jupiter Ascending — $25 Million
2. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – $22.5 Million
3. American Sniper — $20 Million
4. Seventh Son — $7 Million
5. Project Almanac — $5 Million
