Weekend Box Office Predictions 3/19

Alice in Wonderland held off four new entries last week and this time around it should be able to easily win again. Three new movies hit theaters and none are real threats for the top spot. The NCAA Tournament could also eat into potential grosses this weekend.

Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler star in the formulaic romantic comedy The Bounty Hunter. Their names are big enough to draw an audience and the familiar theme of the movie tends to do well at the box office. At the same time another segment of moviegoers will be avoiding it because of its formulaic nature and the horrible reviews it is getting (10% on Rotten Tomatoes). The closest comparison would probably be to Fools Gold, which had the same director and similar relationship angst driven plot, which opened in 2008 to $21 million. Look for The Bounty Hunter to pull in about $20 million.

Another book series to make it to the big screen arrives with Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The family film may not have wide spread appeal and will have to face competition from the third weekend of Alice. Reviews have been mixed, easily the best reviewed new movie out, but that probably won’t sway anyone to see it that wouldn’t have otherwise. Diary of a Wimpy Kid should finish with about $15 million.

Going for the action crowd is Repo Men which features Jude Law and Forest Whitaker as men who recommission artificial body parts when the owners don’t make payments on them. This is a film that has some appeal particularly to males so releasing it on the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament could really hurt it. The movie has not received good reviews (22% on Rotten Tomatoes) either. Repo Men could make $12 million this weekend.

Opening Predictions
The Bounty Hunter: $20 million
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: $15 million
Repo Men: $12 million