Friday brought more good news at the domestic box office as both The Grey and One for the Money posted stronger than expected matinee numbers, particularly Katherine Heigl starrer One for the Money.
Very early projections show action-thriller The Grey, starring Liam Neeson and directed by Joe Carnahan, grossing $5 to $6 million on Friday for a projected $15 million weekend. That number could be revised upwards if business stays strong. Either way, the movie is expected to come in No. 1.
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Tom Ortenberg’s Open Road Films is handling the film, about a group of men stranded in the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash (the cast also includes Frank Grillo and Dermot Mulroney). Open Road is counting on Neeson’s relatively new-found status as an action star– Taken and Unknown turned into box office hits–to lure moviegoers to the film, produced by Liddell Entertainment and Scott Free Productions.
One for the Money could earn a strong $4 million to $5 million on Friday, potentially meaning a $12 million to $14 million dollar weekend–nearly double what tracking had suggested. At the same time, matinee business could be especially strong because of women, making weekend estimates difficult.
Also, moviegoers participating in a special Groupon offering could have bought their tickets on Friday, making the film front-loaded. Lionsgate offered 20 million Groupon members one ticket for $6, and $12 for two tickets.
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Costing $42 million pic to produce, One for the Money is based on the popular Stephanie Plum detective novels by author Janet Evanovich. Lakeshore and Lionsgate are partners on the film, and have limited financial exposure since foreign presales covered much of the budget.
One for the Money was No. 2 Friday, but could be beat for the weekend by holdover Red Tails.
The weekend’s third new film, action-thriller Man on a Ledge, starring Sam Worthington and Elizabeth Banks, couldn’t boast the same good news. The Summit Entertainment pic could only gross $2 million to $2.5 million on Friday, meaning a $6 million to $7 million weekend.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradin produced Man on a Ledge, about a hard-living police negotiator (Banks) who tries to talk down an ex-cop and fugitive (Worthington) who is standing on the ledge of a New York high-rise.
One twist–Lionsgate and Summit dated Man on a Ledge and One for the Money long before Lionsgate bought Summit (the marriage was consummated earlier this month). Normally, one company wouldn’t date two films on the same weekend.
The awards box office will be extra busy this weekend as films try to parlay top Oscar nominations into added attention (the noms were announced on Tuesday).
Best picture nominee The Descendants, from Fox Searchlight, aggressively expands from 560 locations to 1,997. Directed by Alexander Payne and starring George Clooney, the film has grossed $52 million at the domestic box office.
Paramount is adding roughly 300 theaters to Hugo’s run for a total location count of 965. Directed by Martin Scorsese, Hugo 11 nominations, the most of any film, including best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay (John Logan). The pic has grossed $56.3 million to date domestically.
The Artist, which received 10 top Oscar nominations, also ups its profile, moving into a total of 897 theaters. From the Weinstein Co., the awards frontrunner has grossed $13.1 million to date, but has only been playing in a small number of theaters, whereas Descendants and Hugo are adding back runs.
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Warner Bros.’ best picture contender Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close also is poised to benefit, since it only expanded nationwide last weeked after playing in six theaters since Christmas Day. The film has earned $13.2 million domestically.
Films scoring acting nominations also will try to score attention, including Roadside Attraction’s Glen Close starrer Albert Nobbs, which has only been played so far in a qualifying run. This weekend, the film moves into a total of 246 theaters (Close was nominated for best actress).
Although it isn’t expanding, Focus Features and Working Title’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy could benefit from Gary Oldman’s nomination for best actor. The specialty pic has turned into an arthouse hit, grossing nearly $20 million to date. The Weinstein Co.’s The Iron Lady, earning Meryl Streep a best actress nomination and grossing $13.9 million to date, likewise could benefit this weekend.
Sony Pictures Classics’ A Separation, nominated for best foreign language film, and IFC/Sundance Select’s Pina, nominated for best documentary and directed by Wim Wenders, also could see an uptick.