Thanks to The Devil Inside, the box office opened the year with a bang, but with no new wide releases hitting more than 3,000 theaters, we could fall right back into the typical January intake range. The Lion King 3D shocked everyone with a stellar $30.2 million opening, but the Beauty and the Beast re-release might only collect half of that. Contraband could become this year’s The Mechanic, but perhaps get the slightest boost thanks to its bigger cast, giving it about $15 million for its first weekend out. As for Joyful Noise, the only somewhat comparable music-related January release is Notorious, but it’s hard to imagine it posting a $12,514 per theater average. Still, Joyful Noise could earn $14 million and still give Contraband and Beauty and the Beast a run for their money.
Hopefully Paramount enjoyed The Devil Inside’s shockingly big opening because from here, down it goes. Should it see the typical horror movie week two drop, it’ll lose 60% of its $33.7 million and take another $13 million. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol should continue its modest decline, but might take on a little more of a loss thanks to Contraband. If it loses 40% of its week four profits, it’ll still take $12 million for week five. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows could suffer the same fate, which would take it from $13.7 million to $8 million in its fifth weekend out.
After a mere 23.3% loss, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo could take a 35% hit, still letting it earn about $7 million. However, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked could finally take enough of a hit for War Horse and We Bought a Zoo to top it on the box office chart. Should Chipwrecked’s profits get slashed in half and both War Horse and We Bought a Zoo only lose 40%, War Horse will take the 8th position with $5 million, We Bought a Zoo 9th with just under $5 million and Chipwrecked 10th with $4.5 million.
Shockya.com Predictions
1. Contraband
2. Beauty and the Beast
3. Joyful Noise
4. The Devil Inside
5. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
6. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
7. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
8. War Horse
9. We Bought a Zoo
10. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
By Perri Nemiroff (via Box Office Mojo)
