Bold Box Office Predictions: May 8-10, 2015
Notable Openings This Weekend: Hot Pursuit
When I submitted my Avengers: Age of Ultron prediction last week at just over $200 Million, I immediately felt stupid, as it seemed inevitable this would break the original’s record. It turns out I over predicted. Anyone who says an opening weekend that’s just over $191 Million dollars is disappointing is being pretty damn ridiculous. AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON IS THE SECOND HIGHTEST OPENING WEEKEND IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA! 191?!?! COME ON, PEOPLE! No one is crying for Marvel. Is it worth noting though? Sure. The following factors I used as reasons why this wouldn’t perform as well included ‘meh’ reviews, and possible superhero fatigue. While I do believe those factors contributed to the film missing its predecessor’s take, I was a moron for not accounting for the Manny Pacquiao/Floyd Mayweather fight, which absolutely played a factor here. I would prepare Marvel fans for a big drop off though, but the reason won’t be because of Hot Pursuit.
Let’s quickly get Hot Pursuit out of the way. This movie was clearly made because of The Heat’s success two years ago, starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. I originally thought this movie could make some waves as you got a good pairing of Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara. The bad reviews though have pretty much sealed its fate. It will do fine, but nothing special.
Okay, back to the Avengers. Like I said, nobody is crying for Marvel. This movie will still accumulate a blockbuster second weekend, and for all I know the worldwide numbers still might get close to the original. The problem is people aren’t coming out of this movie like they did the first one. It has its fans, but there’s been some shoulder shrugging. The bulk of these superhero movies are dependent on repeat viewings from the diehards, and that’s where I think this film is going to falter relative to the original.
We also have to take into account the Joss Whedon controversy, as some feel his treatment of Black Widow in the film was sexist. I’ve seen the film and personally don’t feel this way, although I can understand where it’s coming from. (Minor Avengers Spoilers) This stems from Black Widow wanting to pursue a romantic relationship with Bruce Banner. Really? Just because she’s in love with a man, she can’t be a strong female character? Cut me a break. In my opinion, Black Widow being captured by Ultron and put in a cage is where people may have a stronger case. The idea of the female character being kidnapped seems pretty 30 years ago. This whole controversy even made Joss Whedon quit twitter. Yikes. Sorry for the brief detour, but I do think all this might hurt the fans coming back for repeat viewings.
HOW WILL IT ALL BREAK DOWN…
Avengers: Age of Ultron has a big drop off, but makes a lot of money. The end.
1. Avengers: Age of Ultron — $87 Million
2. Hot Pursuit — $18 Million
3. Furious 7 — $4.5 Million
4. The Age of Adaline — $4 Million
5. Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 — $2.5 Million
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Daniel Cohen is the Film Editor for Pop-Break. Aside from reviews, Daniel does a weekly box office predictions column, and also contributes monthly Top Tens and Op-Ed’s on all things film. Daniel is a graduate of Bates College with a degree in English, and also studied Screenwriting at UCLA. He can also be read on www.movieshenanigans.com. His movie crush is Jessica Rabbit. Follow him on Twitter @dcohenwriter.
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