Weekend Estimates: Resident Evil Conquers Nemo

September 16, 2012

Resident Evil: Retribution will post a solid opening weekend to top this weekend's box office, according to studio estimates released on Sunday morning. With $21.1 million projected by Sony, it will be the fourth consecutive film in the franchise to open between $20 million and $27 million -- an impressive level of consistency. In second place, Finding Nemo 3D is expected to post about $17.5 million, which is a significant disappointment compared to the $30 million debut enjoyed by The Lion King this weekend last year. But the real plaudits this weekend will go to a film playing in just five theaters.

The Master is on track to earn about $730,000 in five theaters for Weinstein. Helped by a 70mm presentation in some venues, the film has been enjoying sold-out shows throughout the weekend and will post one of the best per theater averages for any film with $146,000 or so. The previous high among recent films is the $131,000 enjoyed by Moonrise Kingdom earlier this year.

Also scoring on the per theater front is Arbitrage, which will post an impressive $2.07 million dollars from 197 theaters (traditionally a very difficult release pattern). No other films that have reported so far look as though they will top $10,000 per theater, but documentaries Detropia and Somewhere Between will come close, with around $8,500 per venue. 10 Years from Anchor Bay also looks set to have a good opening weekend, with about $23,000 in three locations.

- Weekend Estimates

Bruce Nash bruce.nash@the-numbers.com

Filed under: Weekend Estimates, Finding Nemo, Moonrise Kingdom, 10 Years, Resident Evil: Retribution, Arbitrage, The Master, Detropia, Somewhere Between