As we kick off a busy month of June packed with highly anticipated films, "Snow White and the Huntsman" is in a good position to topple "Men in Black III" and become the top movie in the U.S. this weekend. But even though "Snow White" should easily take over the top box office slot, steady competition from "MIB III" and "The Avengers" will make it difficult for "Snow White" to post a groundbreaking opening for distributor Universal. Historical drama "For Greater Glory" is also getting launched at roughly 700 sites this weekend, though minimal buzz suggests that it will have a very minor impact at the box office.
After "Mirror Mirror" gave audiences a lighter version of the Snow White tale back in March, "Snow White and the Huntsman" promises a much darker experience that should cater more to mainstream action crowds. A popular cast including Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth and Kristen Stewart should also help bring in some audiences for the blockbuster hopeful, though expectations need to be tempered considering the intense competition for action-seeking audiences.
The main competition will come from "Men in Black III," which comes off of a solid debut a week ago in which it brought in $54 million ($70 million including Memorial Day). "The Avengers" is also expected to earn at least $20 million for the fifth consecutive weekend, limiting the potential of "Snow White" even further as it hopes to score with its target demographic. At 3,700 total venues, "Snow White" should be able to finish in the $45 to $50 million range this weekend, enough to easily land as number one.
As "Snow White" finds some of its intended audience, we'll also get a good barometer of how much fan interest there is left for "Men in Black III." Though opening weekend numbers were fairly strong, daily numbers since have been so-so and the latest "MIB" adventure doesn't seem to have the legs for a long box office run. "Men in Black III" should haul in somewhere around $25 million in its second weekend in theaters, pushing it to a 10-day domestic total in the $100 to $110 million range.
Even with plenty of competition in recent weekends, "The Avengers" simply continues to pile up ticket sales, propelling it within striking distance of "The Dark Knight" for third all-time in domestic revenue. "The Avengers" could even surpass the $533 million domestic intake of "The Dark Knight" by the beginning of the weekend and it is also already up to $1.3 billion worldwide, making it the favorite to finish as the top grossing movie of 2012. Though "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Hobbit" will both put up enormous numbers when they hit theaters, it will be hard to compete with "The Avengers" if it can get close to $1.5 billion by the time it wraps.
The only other new release on the schedule is "For Greater Glory," a historical epic starring Andy Garcia. Set during the little known Cristeros War in Mexico in the 1920s, "For Greater Glory" will have a very hard time finding mainstream audiences and an expansion in later weekends seems unlikely. "For Greater Glory" should be able to pull in enough to slide into the bottom portion of the top ten, but a strong opening seems out of reach for the Arc Entertainment distribution.
Next weekend, the box office will heat up with the release of director Ridley Scott's highly anticipated "Prometheus," an R-rated prequel to "Alien" starring Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, and Michael Fassbender. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" is also in good position to scoop up family audiences due to a complete lack of mainstream family films currently playing in theaters. The rest of the month will see movies like Tom Cruise's "Rock of Ages," Pixar's latest film "Brave," horror-thriller "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" and Woody Allen's "To Rome with Love."
RTT Box Office Predictions for 6/1/12 - 6/3/12 (In Millions):
1. Snow White and the Huntsman (Universal): $45
2. Men in Black III (Sony/Columbia): $26
3. The Avengers (Disney): $20
4. The Dictator (Paramount): $5.3
5. Battleship (Universal): $4.8
6. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Fox Searchlight): $4
7. Chernobyl Diaries (Warner Brothers): $3.8
8. Dark Shadows (Warner Brothers): $3.7
9. What to Expect When You're Expecting (Lionsgate): $3.6
10. For Greater Glory (Arc Entertainment): $2.5
by RTT Staff Writer
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