The Undead Need Love Too

September 23, 2005

September is usually an extremely weak month at the box office, but so far we've seen better than expected results and have had significant growth from last year. That trend will likely continue this weekend as there are two films that could top $20 million over the weekend.

For the second weekend in a row, the favorite film to win the box office race involves a romance between a man and a dead woman. Okay, technically she's undead, and that is an important distinction when declaring the film an ode to necrophilia, which more than a few critics have done. The Corpse Bride's reviews are as strong as expected, but the buzz is better than expected. Even though Stop Motion Animation doesn't have the same drawing power as Digital Animation, the film should still become a reasonable hit for this time of year. Look for $27 million over the weekend and just over $100 million during its run, or at least close enough that the studio will give it a push.

On the other hand, Flightplan is not generating the amount of buzz I was expecting and its reviews are not strong enough to compensate. The film still has a chance of cracking $20 million over the weekend and $60 million during its run, but I think it will fall just short on both counts.

Just Like Heaven started slower than expected and is unlikely to maintain much more than half its opening this weekend. That still gives the film $9 million over the weekend and a chance at a profit during its initial push into the home market. However, it is much weaker than expected.

Roll Bounce may not be opened on many screens, but it should still crack the top five thanks to better than expected reviews and much better buzz. It seems that nostalgia is winning out and the film should bring in just over $8 million over the weekend, which is more than earlier predictions had the film making during its entire run.

Rounding out the top five should be The Exorcism of Emily Rose with just shy of $8 million. The film is still on track to earn a profit during its domestic run, which is something that the vast majority of films fail to do. And this will probably result in plenty more possession movies coming out in the next year or so.

Lastly, In Her Shoes is having a sneak peak tomorrow in roughly 400 theatres.

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Filed under: Flightplan, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Corpse Bride, Just Like Heaven, In Her Shoes, Roll Bounce