Weekend Estimates: Safe House and The Vow Neck-and-Neck for Presidents' Honors

February 19, 2012

A tight battle is brewing for box office honors this weekend, based on the studios' Sunday estimates. Safe House is currently ahead, with Universal predicting a $24 million 3-day weekend. The Vow runs in second place with $23.6 million according to Sony, which also has Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance in third place with $22 million. Adding to the uncertainty, the most family-friendly film in the top ten, Journey 2: Mysterious Island is only a few million back, with Warner Bros. projecting it will make $20.1 million through Sunday. Overall, it looks as though Safe House will win both the 3-day and 4-day races, although Journey 2 could win Monday.

The picture for new releases this weekend isn't a particularly healthy one all round. Ghost Rider's opening will be about half that of the original movie. This Means War failed to connect with audiences in the face of a good performance from The Vow and will earn about $17.6 million over three days. The Secret World of Arrietty is a more niche release, but $6.4 million over three days isn't a great performance, although it should do well on Monday.

Limited releases won't make much of a mark either this weekend. The Artist and Hugo both get small boosts thanks to the impending Oscars and may yet get bigger bumps if either wins the big prize next weekend.

- Weekend estimates

Bruce Nash

Filed under: Weekend Estimates, Hugo, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Safe House, The Vow, This Means War, Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ), Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, The Artist