SEPTEMBER 6 RELEASES
Riddick-- Here's the perfect example of one of those summer rejects. You would think with the Fast and Furious clout that Vin Diesel could sell a movie franchise during a summer month. Thanks to the sketchy track record of Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick, Universal Pictures saved this one for the wide open September slate. As you may have guessed, Diesel is back (along with original director David Twohy) as his Riddick character fighting through interplanetary captivity and things that go bump in the dark. The hard R-rating is just what fans wanted. This could do surprise, blockbuster-level business and hit nine figures in total. (trailer)
OPENING WEEKEND PREDICTION: $36 million EVENTUAL TOTAL GROSS: $119 million
Winnie Mandela-- Shot way back in 2011, here's the first of two somewhat different Mandela-centered projects coming in 2013. This first one, starring Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, centers on the power couple's early courtship and her long plight with her husband (played by Terrance Howard) in prison. Winnie Mandela looks smaller in stature to Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom starring Idris Elba that is slotted for November. With a small limited release, don't expect a big tally. (trailer)
OPENING WEEKEND PREDICTION: $1 million EVENTUAL TOTAL GROSS: $8 million
SEPTEMBER 13 RELEASES
Insidious: Chapter 2-- Director James Wan just hit it big with The Conjuring this past summer and has a quick turnaround here to capitalize by returning with a sequel to his 2011 modest hit, with Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne back as Josh and Renai Lambert are still wrestling with the paranormal events surrounding their son. With a shiny new reputation, expect this little horror sequel to move a few tickets, even if Halloween is still nearly a month away. People are clamoring for this stuff. (trailer)
OPENING WEEKEND PREDICTION: $31 million EVENTUAL TOTAL GROSS: $83 million
The Family-- Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfieffer are the parental units of a Mafia-tied family that is relocated to France for witness protection. Tommy Lee Jones plays their CIA agent caretaker trying to keep a lid on their cover. I smell two Oscar winners and one multiple Oscar nominee cashing in paychecks endorsed by frenetic French filmmaker Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, Leon: The Professional). Despite the dated big names, this one smells of a bomb in the making. (trailer)
OPENING WEEKEND PREDICTION: $3 million EVENTUAL TOTAL GROSS: $12 million
SEPTEMBER 20 RELEASES
Prisoners-- Hugh Jackman and Terrance Howard star in this Mark Wahlberg-produced crime thriller about a two distraught families stalking and pursuing a confession from a mentally handicapped man (Paul Dano) they believed kidnapped their daughters. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the young detective trying to conduct the investigation properly against these two desperate fathers. The marketing has been underselling this movie and the big names involved. Solid reviews could give this a boost (trailer)
OPENING WEEKEND PREDICTION: $7 million EVENTUAL TOTAL GROSS: $22 million
Battle of the Year-- Go ahead and write this one up for two things. 1) a Balderdash card as a movie plot that sounds too dumb and fake to be true. 2) the next contender to Grown Ups 2 as the worst movie of the year. Here it goes. A burned out basketball coach (Lost's Josh Holloway) is recruited to put his coaching skills to use to train a b-boy street dance team led by Chris Brown as your resident thug and Josh Peck as your token white guy. This is going to make the Step Up film franchise look like The Godfather. The sad thing is, like Step Up. people still pay money to see this crap. (worst trailer of the year)
OPENING WEEKEND PREDICTION: $9 million EVENTUAL TOTAL GROSS: $23 million
SEPTEMBER 27 RELEASES
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2-- Like Riddick, here's another movie that probably could have stolen some summer business or waited until the holiday season to be a big family hit that has been long starved since Despicable Me 2 ruled July. It too finds a clear calendar of kids back in school that need a weekend fix. With original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller busy tackling Captain America: The Winter Solider for next spring, a couple of rookie fill-ins bring back Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, and Neil Patrick Harris for more food-related adventure. The kid audience is ready for its next hit. This will easily be your #1 movie of the weekend. (trailer)
OPENING WEEKEND PREDICTION: $41 million EVENTUAL TOTAL GROSS: $147 million
Rush-- Oscar-winning director Ron Howard ditches Dan Brown books and bad comedies (The Dilemma) for a return to action drama. Rush has a historical sports angle covering the real-life rivalry between Formula One drivers James Hunt (Thor's Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl from Inglourious Basterds) during their chase for 1976 championship. (trailer)
OPENING WEEKEND PREDICTION: $36 million EVENTUAL TOTAL GROSS: $119 million
Don Jon-- If you don't follow the multi-talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt's present career, you need to. Not only has he strung together outstanding high profile acting roles for the past several years, the young man is now tackling writing and directing. Don Jon, which premiered back at the Sundance Film Festival, is his feature debut as a writer/director. Levitt plays the lead character, a smooth operator who nets the perfect girl (Scarlett Johansson) but can't shake his addiction to porn to make their relationship work. There's no denying JGL's talent. This could be he's biggest step forward to date. Now let's see if his talent translates to an audience (trailer)
OPENING WEEKEND PREDICTION: $11 million EVENTUAL TOTAL GROSS: $34 million
Baggage Claim-- Not far behind Battle of the Year for preposterousness and awful plot scenario, 2 Guns co-star Paula Patton plays a relationship-desperate and neurotic flight attendant who begins to revisit a rundown of ex-boyfriends and suitors (played by manly studs Taye Diggs, Derek Luke, Djimon Hounsou, and Boris Kodjoe, among others) looking for rush engagement. Even with the niche African-American demographic and their loyalty, even they know this is a lemon. (trailer)
OPENING WEEKEND PREDICTION: $4 million EVENTUAL TOTAL GROSS: $11 million
Metallica: Through the Never-- In a blend between actual film and concert documentary, rock band Metallica is the center of a journey of a roadie named Trip (up and comer Dane DeHaan). Connecting their old classics with a new album, this film seeks to be a different kind of concert film. (trailer)
OPENING WEEKEND PREDICTION: $2 million EVENTUAL TOTAL GROSS: $8 million
