In what could best be described as the “calm before the storm” at thebox officethis weekend, Warner Bros.‘In the Heart of the Seais the only new wide release, with Universal’sLegendexpanding nationwide. According to projections from BoxOffice.com,In the Heart of the Seais set to take in $17 million during its opening, which is low by mid-December standards, but should be enough to end the three-week reign ofThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. The low figures are attributed largely to the massive release of Disney’sStar Wars: The Force Awakenson December 18.
In the weekend before blockbusters such asAvengers: Age of UltronandJurassic Worldopened, the box office saw a significant downturn, as fans got ready for those highly-anticipated movies to hit theaters. It’s no surprise that this weekend will not be any different, sinceStar Wars: The Force Awakensis expected to be one of the biggest movies this year. Last month,Star Wars: The Force Awakensalready broke a box office record by taking in $50 million in advance ticket sales, shattering the record of $25 million by 2012’sThe Dark Knight Rises. There was speculation thatStar Wars: The Force Awakenscould reach upwards of $100 million in pre-sales before opening day, but no updated figures have been released.
In the Heart of the Seais set in the winter of 1820, when the New England whaling ship Essex was assaulted by something no one could believe: a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance. The real-life maritime disaster would inspire Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, but that told only half the story.In the Heart of the Seareveals the encounter’s harrowing aftermath, as the ship’s surviving crew is pushed to their limits and forced to do the unthinkable to stay alive. Braving storms, starvation, panic and despair, the men will call into question their deepest beliefs, from the value of their lives to the morality of their trade, as their captain searches for direction on the open sea and his first mate still seeks to bring the great whale down.
In the Heart of the SeastarsChris Hemsworth,Tom Holland,Cillian Murphy,Benjamin Walker,Charlotte Riley,Brendan Gleeson,Ben Whishaw,Frank Dillane, Michelle Fairley and Paul Anderson.Ron Howarddirects this adaptation of Nathaniel Philbrick’s book, with Charles Leavitt,Rick JaffaandAmanda Silverwriting the screenplay adaptation. Even with the star power ofChris Hemsworth,In the Heart of the Sea, which cost an estimated $100 million to produce, may sink at the box office.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2’s three-week streak will come to an end this weekend, taking in an estimated $10 million in its fourth frame in theaters.The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2opened with $102 million, the lowest of all four films in the franchise, and it currently sits at $227.3 million after three weeks in theaters. While we’ll have to wait and see if it can surpass $300 million domestically, it seems like a long shot that it will surpassThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1’s domestic total of $337.1 million. It’s possible that these middling grosses could help put an end to the trend of studios splitting the final novel of a trilogy into a two-part movie, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Universal’sKrampus, which performed better than expected last weekend, opening with $16 million, is expected to drop to third place with $9.2 million, withCreed($8.8 million) andThe Good Dinosaur($8.2 million) rounding out the top 5.Krampushas already turned a profit, since it was produced for just $15 million, following a horned beast who punishes naughty children at Christmastime. When dysfunctional family squabbling causes young Max (Emjay Anthony) to lose his festive spirit, it unleashes the wrath of the fearsome demon. AsKrampuslays siege to the Engel home, mom (Toni Collette), pop (Adam Scott), sister (Stefania Owen) and brother must band together to save one another from a monstrous fate. The supporting cast includesAllison TolmanandDavid Koechner, withMichael Dougherty(Trick ‘r Treat) directing.
Rounding out the top 10 will beSpectre($3 million),The Night Before($2.7 million),The Peanuts Movie($2 million),Spotlight($1.6 million) andBrooklyn($1.2 million). Despite expanding nationwide, Universal’sLegendcould be the latest wide release to debut out of the top 10 this weekend, following flops likeJem and the HologramsandScouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse.Legendis expected to take in less than $1 million in its opening weekend, despite a critically-acclaimed dual role fromTom Hardy. The film opened November 20 in limited release, earning $86,836 from four theaters for a $21,709 per-screen average, but it’s per-screen average has been dropping steadily since then, despite adding more theaters each week. It isn’t known how many theaters the crime drama will expand into this weekend. Opening in limited release this weekend is Paramount’sThe Big Short, Gravitas Ventures’ Bleeding Heart, GKIDS’ The Boy and the World, Lionsgate Premiere’sDon Verdeanand Freestyle Releasing’s The Girl in the Book.
Looking ahead to next weekend,Star Wars: The Force Awakenswill finally hit theaters, alongside Universal’sSistersand 20th Century Fox’sAlvin and The Chipmunks: The Road Chip. While it’s somewhat unusual for a movie as big asStar Wars: The Force Awakensto have any competition whatsoever, bothSistersandAlvin and The Chipmunks: The Road Chipare aimed at very different demographics, but we’ll have to wait and see how they perform against a behemoth likeStar Wars: The Force Awakens. Until then, take a look at the projections for the week of December 11 below.
