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After 3 weeks of box office domination by an escapist comedy, an escapist adventure movie looks set to take over the box office crown.
The Core contains all the elements needed for box office success - special effects, heroism, tough but beautiful women, tough but sensitive men, and a story line that bears almost no relation to reality.
A popcorn-muncher's dream.
Movie theaters figured out this is the kind of entertainment people are looking for right now, and it's booked in 3,017 theaters this weekend, which should give it a strong opening.
Mission to Mars earned $22 million on its opening weekend in March, 2000 in 3,054 theaters, and I'm projecting a $20 million debut for The Core (add a little for ticket inflation, take a little for the generally depressed market at the moment).
Basic is the latest war movie to hit theaters, and looks headed for modest opening numbers, and terrible numbers in the weekends to follow.
I'm projecting a $13 million opening, and a rapid decline to follow.
The final wide release this weekend is the Chris Rock comedy Head of State, which will unspool in a fairly limited 2,151 theaters.
That suggests an opening of no more than $6 million, although it could get a minor boost from being a comedy - a genre that people seem to be seeking out at the moment.
Among the returning movies, Bringing Down the House should manage around $11 million, and take 3rd in the chart.
Dreamcatcher will drop sharply, to around $7 million, giving Chicago a shot at 4th place - it is running at around a 10% increase from last week right now, boosted by its Oscar wins, and should take close to $7 million over the weekend.
| Rank | Movie | Theaters | Change | Weeks in
Release | Distributor |
| 1 | Core, The | 3,017 | New | 1 | Paramount |
| 2 | Dreamcatcher | 2,945 | n/c | 2 | Warner Bros. |
| 3 | Bringing Down the House | 2,910 | +39 | 4 | Buena Vista |
| 4 | Basic | 2,876 | New | 1 | Sony |
| 5 | Agent Cody Banks | 2,786 | -583 | 3 | MGM |
| 6 | Chicago | 2,701 | +136 | 14 | Miramax |
| 7 | View from the Top, A | 2,508 | n/c | 2 | Miramax |
| 8 | Hunted, The (2003) | 2,244 | -273 | 3 | Paramount |
| 9 | Head of State | 2,151 | New | 1 | Dreamworks |
| 10 | Piglet's Big Movie | 2,084 | n/c | 2 | Buena Vista |
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| 44 | 1 + 1 = 11 | 18 | New | 1 | Eros |
| 52 | Assassination Tango | 7 | New | 1 | MGM/UA |
| 54 | Stevie | 4 | New | 1 | Lions Gate |
| 55 | Raising Victor Vargas | 2 | New | 1 | Gold Circle/IDP |
| 56 | Fellini: I’m a Born Liar (Fellini: Sono un Gran Bugiardo) | 1 | New | 1 | First Look |
| 57 | Unknown Pleasures (Ren Xiao Yao) | 1 | New | 1 | New Yorker |
| 58 | Good Old Naughty Days, The | 1 | New | 1 | Strand |
Estimated Theater Counts for Next Week's Openers
See the full theater count chart
Date posted: 2003-03-28
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Sunday, November 22, 2009
