Without a release hitting 3,000 or more theaters this weekend, "Underworld Awakening" looks to be in the best shape to finish out the weekend as the number one draw, with producer George Lucas' passion project "Red Tails" and drama "Extremely Loud and Incredibly "Close" not far behind. Also hitting theaters is director Steven Soderbergh's action-thriller "Haywire," though minimal online buzz could outweigh the critical support the star-studded release has gathered. "Contraband" should also still see some strong numbers this weekend, but significant competition will make it hard to finish near the top of the box office.
Though the last release in the "Underworld" series, "Rise of the Lycans," put up the worst numbers in the franchise so far, the good news for "Awakening" is that star Kate Beckinsale is back atop the cast as it looks to reclaim its intended audience. After a bevy of commercial flops, from "Whiteout" to "Everybody's Fine," Beckinsale was a co-star in last week's number one draw "Contraband" and should help get "Awakening" to the top of the charts this weekend as well.
The downside is that there are a lot of options for older teens and younger adults looking for action this weekend, as "Contraband" clearly struck a chord with audiences and "Haywire" should steal away some action lovers as well. But even with significant competition, all of the releases in the "Underworld" series have earned at least $20 million in their opening weekends, making it a safe bet that "Awakening" will come close with Beckinsale back in the cast.
As R-rated "Underworld Awakening" plays to younger adults, historical drama "Red Tails" takes aim at an older adult audience that might be interested in the story of the famed Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. Starring Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr., "Red Tails" has reportedly been in various stages of production with executive producer George Lucas for 20 years, though that won't necessarily help it find its audience at the box office. At 2,500 theaters, "Red Tails" should find a nice section of the adult audience, though it will have a hard time matching zeroes with "Underworld Awakening" as it hits 2,900 venues this weekend.
Also looking to find some adult audience members this weekend is "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," though dark subject matter might make it a difficult sell even with Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock heading the cast. From director Stephen Daldry ("The Reader," "The Hours"), "Extremely Loud" is the inspirational tale of a boy looking to move on with his life after his father dies tragically in the collapsing of the Twin Towers on September 11th. Expanding to 2,500 theaters, "Extremely Loud" should be able to pull in somewhere around $13 to $15 million this weekend.
Looking to steal some of the audience away from "Contraband" and "Underworld" this weekend will be director Steven Soderbergh's "Haywire," which has an interesting cast that includes Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas. Lead Gina Carano has also been receiving kudos for her portrayal of a hardened black ops agent who has to go rogue after her agency cuts her loose. But even with some solid critical support (85% approval on Rotten Tomatoes), "Haywire" will have a difficult time competing with more mainstream releases like "Contraband" and "Underworld," which should both finish ahead of "Haywire" at the box office.
Though "Haywire" will find some of its action-seeking audience this weekend, it's unlikely that "Contraband" will be completely abandoned after a very strong $24 million opening a week ago. With a production budget of just $25 million, "Contraband" already looks like a success for distributor Universal and a 10-day total in the $45 to $50 million range seems likely. Look for "Contraband" to take a notable dip but to still pull in $12 to $14 million this weekend.
The weekend is also likely the last that David Fincher's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" lands in the top ten after a so-so box office run thus far. Though it seemed early on that "The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo" would end up as somewhat of a box office dud, good buzz and the popularity of the Swedish book series has helped it resonate with adult audiences over the last month. Heading into the weekend, "Dragon Tattoo" is approaching $100 million domestically and should end up with somewhere between $150 and $175 million worldwide at the end of its run, which are better numbers than anticipated after a lackluster opening.
Next weekend, the theme of gritty action-thrillers will continue with the release of Liam Neeson's "The Grey" and the Sam Worthington-starring "Man on a Ledge." Also hitting theaters will be action-comedy "One for the Money," though it doesn't seem to be in line for much of a box office run even with Katherine Heigl heading the cast.
RTT Box Office Predictions for 1/20/12 - 1/22/12 (In Millions):
1. Underworld Awakening (Screen Gems): $19
2. Red Tails (Fox): $15
3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Warner Brothers): $13
4. Contraband (Universal): $12
5. Haywire (Relativity): $10
6. Beauty and the Beast 3D (Buena Vista): $9.8
7. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Paramount): $5.5
8. Joyful Noise (Warner Brothers): $4.9
9. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Warner Brothers): $4.5
10. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sony/Columbia): $3.5
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.