Movie projector: Labor Day Weekend will mean hard work for studios
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The summer box office will probably end the same way it began -- with a whimper.
Labor Day weekend is historically pretty slow and that trend isn’t likely to change this year. There are three movies opening -- the Gerard Butler action comedy ‘Gamer,’ Sandra Bullock’s ‘All About Steve,’ and ‘Extract, Mike Judge’s subversive work comedy starring Jason Bateman and Mila Kunis. None are expected to be powerhouses and the race for No. 1 could end up being between Warner Bros.’ ‘The Final Destination’ and Weinstein Co.’s ‘Inglourious Basterds.’
‘The Final Destination’ will probably fall quite a bit from its $28.3-million opening because horror movies tend to attract their hard-core audience in the first weekend. But tickets to see the 3-D movie cost moviegoers more, which may prop up its performance this weekend.
Among the new releases, it should be a tossup between ‘Gamer,’ which is ‘Death Race’ meets ‘The Running Man’ and ‘All About Steve,’ which also features red-hot Bradley Cooper and Thomas Haden Church. The ads for ‘All About Steve’ even tout Cooper as being from ‘The Hangover.’
Lionsgate’s ‘Gamer,’ which is from the same team behind ‘Crank,’ is expected to pull in about $12.5 million over the long weekend. That would be on par with ‘Crank,’ which opened to $12.9 million.
20th Century Fox’s ‘All About Steve’ had been originally set for release in March but was pushed back to September. The move may boost the film because audiences might be hungering for more Bullock after the success of Disney’s ‘The Proposal,’ which came out in June and was her biggest opening ever at $33.6 million. On the other hand, it’s another romantic comedy (albeit she’s blond in this one). The movie is building buzz with with women older than 25, according to tracking reports, and is likely to open in the mid-teens, which is where her movies usually open.
Mike Judge’s ‘Extract’ from Miramax will get the critical buzz but probably won’t breakout beyond his cult following even with Bateman, Kunis and Ben Affleck in the cast. Industry estimates have it opening in the $4-million to $5-million range. The classic ‘Office Space’ opened to $4.2 million in 1999. Jeez, has it been 10 years already?
-- Joe Flint
Top photo: Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper in ‘All About Steve. Credit: 20th Century Fox. Middle photo: Gerard Butler and Michael C. Hall in ‘Gamer. Credit: Saeed Advani. Bottom photo: ‘Extract’ stars Jason Bateman and Mila Kunis. Credit: Sam Urdank / Miramax
