Bold Box Office Predictions: Weekend of February 27-March 1, 2015
Notable Openings This Weekend: Focus, The Lazarus Effect
If you were out and about last weekend and heard a giant metal anchor plop to the bottom of the ocean, that was the sound of Fifty Shades of Grey’s near 74% drop off from opening weekend. Wow. The movie has already done its job, and because the budget on these films isn’t large, it’s all good. It does make you wonder though what kind of momentum it has going into the next movie? The people who wanted to go and make fun of it went, and they probably won’t be back. I’m not here to analyze the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise though. I’m here to analyze this weekend’s box office, which includes the return of Will Smith, one of the few remaining superstars left. But is he? Will Smith knows this won’t be a “Big Willie Weekend” of years past. At this point, he’s hoping for a “Respectable Willie Weekend.” We also got a new horror movie opening, so let’s get cracking.
Focus looks fine. That’s really all I have to say. Even though Will Smith’s last starring vehicle bombed (After Earth), that was probably more about M. Night Shyamalan. Will Smith is not the star he once was, but he can still open a movie. Focus feels more like a return to the suave Will Smith, as opposed to sci-fi bleak future Will Smith. Add in Margot Robbie, and the fact both are in Suicide Squad together might help as well. This won’t break the bank, but it should do respectable business.
We know how The Lazarus Effect is going to go. Come on. It’s some random horror movie nobody cares about that will barely crack the top five, and will never be heard from again. It has nice little niche actors like Mark Duplass and Donald Glover, but nobody cares. Evan Peters is also in this. How many of you knew without looking it up that he was Quicksilver in X-Men: Days of Future Past? Exactly.
HOW WILL IT ALL BREAK DOWN…
Focus easily opens #1 due to crap competition and slightly over performs.
1. Focus — $25 Million
2. Fifty Shades of Grey — $12 Million
3. Kingsman: The Secret Service — $11 Million
4. The Lazarus Effect — $10 Million
5. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water — $9 Million
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