In one of the most wide open weekends of the year, thrillers "Chronicle" and "The Grey" should battle drama "The Woman in Black" for the top box office slot, though a big weekend isn't expected from any of them. Also hitting theaters this weekend is limited release "Big Miracle," an inspirational family-oriented drama starring John Krasinski and Drew Barrymore. With the big action movies of the holiday season finally out of the top ten, we should end up with one of the slowest movie weekends of the entire year as studios hold their major releases for the spring and early summer.
Without a single recognizable face in the cast, Fox's "found footage" drama "Chronicle" is getting launched at roughly 2,800 theaters this weekend, looking to pick up where "The Devil Inside" left off just a few weeks back. Extremely low-budget releases pretending to be either found footage or authentic documentaries have become very popular in recent years, particularly in the horror genre, leading the way for "Chronicle" to get a wide theatrical release.
Even though movies like "Chronicle" can appear gimmicky, they've also become very lucrative as of late and come with no real risk. "The Devil Inside" had an advantage because audiences are still very interested in exorcist movies, but positive online buzz and a PG-13 rating could turn into some box office success this weekend for "Chronicle." Normally "Chronicle" still wouldn't have a chance at landing atop the box office, but with "The Grey" heading into its second weekend and "The Woman in Black" having appeal only to a small audience, an $11 or $12 million opening for "Chronicle" could push it to number one.
PG-13 horror-thriller "The Woman in Black" will also be looking to find a mainstream audience this weekend, though star Daniel Radcliffe probably won't help too much without his Harry Potter spectacles. At an estimated 2,700 theaters, "The Woman in Black" is the second widest release of the weekend, but it will probably split some of its audience with "The Grey" and "Underworld Awakening" in addition to "Chronicle." Distributor CBS Films also doesn't have a great track record, but Radcliffe is at least a known actor in a major release, which could help give "The Grey" and "Chronicle" serious competition for the number one box office slot.
If neither "Chronicle" nor "The Woman in Black" manages to drum up enough interest this weekend, Liam Neeson's horror-thriller "The Grey" might just end up atop the charts for the second straight weekend. Following up a solid $19.67 million opening a week ago, "The Grey" could get a boost from strong critical and audience support, potentially limiting the drop from its opening weekend and keeping it as the number one box office draw.
Getting a slightly smaller release is PG drama "Big Miracle," a family-oriented tale about an effort to save a pod of whales. Though it has John Krasinski of "The Office" and Drew Barrymore leading the cast, distributor Universal doesn't seem too optimistic about posting a big opening and is releasing it at just 1,900 theaters. "Dolphin Tale" proved recently that there is still an audience for similar uplifting family dramas, but "Big Miracle" is a considerably smaller release and doesn't seem to have much of a chance to earn much more than $7 or $8 million this weekend.
After a fairly lackluster weekend, the box office should pick up next weekend with a bevy of new titles aimed at different audiences. PG action-adventure "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" looks to be one of the most prominent new releases, with The Rock and Michael Caine co-starring. Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington will also star in "Safe House," an action-thriller about a disgruntled CIA agent (Washington) looking for payback. Romantic drama "The Vow" will reach theaters starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams, though it doesn't seem to be in line for too big of an opening weekend. Continuing with the trend of 3D re-releases, "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" will back on the big screen as creator George Lucas begins to unveil his entire "Star Wars" saga in 3D.
RTT Box Office Predictions for 2/3/12 - 2/5/12 (In Millions):
1. Chronicle (Fox): $11.6
2. The Woman in Black (CBS Films): $11.5
3. The Grey (Open Road Films): $11
4. Big Miracle (Universal): $7.5
5. Underworld: Awakening (Screen Gems): $6.3
6. One for the Money (Lionsgate): $5.6
7. Red Tails (Fox): $5.5
8. Man on a Ledge (Summit): $4.3
9. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Warner Brothers): $3.9
10. The Descendants (Fox Searchlight): $3.8
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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.