2014 08 29 – As Above, So Below, The November Man

August is usually the slowest of summer season's months. Guardians of the Galaxy and Sin City: A Dame to Kill for showed that in order to beat market habits you need to go as wide as possible. A PG-13 comedy action opening in August came as the winner. An R action didn't deliver as expected.

This weekend we have two openings.

FRIDAY: All shots!

TUESDAY: Official numbers!

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WHAT DIES IN PARIS, COMES UP IN PARIS

This movie, As Above, So Below, is a thriller/suspense R movie, from Universal.

Horror as a movie genre doesn't rely on environments to create value for audience. At least not in a way genres of action or adventure do. The point is to corner characters, play on their fears, play visually on the audience. This movie succeeds on the first condition, but fails to deliver potents conditions two and three. If you corner a character, use scares that come with that cornering. Don't put in there something from the outside world. In last year's Mama, the monster comes from the woods into a house, but it is connected to a little girl from the beginning. Scares in As Above, So Below, prey on characters's past (judging from the trailer I believe it is correct) -- and it is outside to Paris's catacombs. So, if this movie works (the trailer didn't convince me), it does work just in a visual department. This is too little to win audience and gather more than $ 10 mln.

Shots for 4-day Labor Day weekend:

$ 15 mln  --  Edward Douglas, ComingSoon

$ 11,5 mln  --  Box Office team

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$ 11 mln  --  C.S. Strowbridge, The-Numbers
$ 10,5 mln  --  Mitch Metcalf, ShowBuzzDaily
$ 10,28 mln  --  the official weekend number of the movie  (2640 theaters, $ 3895 per theater)
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$ 9 mln  --  Gitesh Pandya, BoxOfficeGuru

$ 8 mln  --  ThisIsNotMyName, BoxOfficePredictionsOnline
$ 7,5 mln  --  Laremy Legel, RopeOfSilicon
$ 7,42 mln  --  Mario Ludwinski, USBOPredictions2014  (2640 theaters, $ 2812 per theater)

Sensei White Lotus, BreitBart, Ray Subers, BoxOfficeMojo, SaberToothDragon, BoxOfficeFrontier, Andy Burns, BiffBamPop, didn't post his shot for this movie.

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TO THINK PIERCE BROSNAN LEFT JAMES BOND FRANCHISE TO AVOID TYPECASTING AS A SPY AGENT

This movie, The November Man, is a thriller/suspense R movie, from Relativity.

Sometimes you make a decision, then life kicks you in the butt, getting you into the same situation. I understand that Pierce Brosnan wanted to get out of straight action movies. He got into fame playing Remington Steele in a TV detective series. There was a bit of action and lots of his charm. He brought the same quality in his Bond pieces, in Mamma Mia!, and other works. I don't believe he needs to get back for these thrillers to get money. Maybe he just wants to kill some time, or maybe he realized he was missing all those blowouts, car chases, fist fights, girls in scant bikinis. This movie, however, lacks his charm. Mr. Brosnan comes out as a weak copy of Liam Neeson (Taken, Non Stop), that is not a good thing.

Shots for 4-day Labor Day weekend:

$ 13 mln  --  Andy Burns, BiffBamPop
$ 12,8 mln  --  Edward Douglas, ComingSoon
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$ 10,10 mln  --  the official weekend number of the movie  (2776 theaters, $ 3640 per theater)

$ 9,59 mln  --  Mario Ludwinski, USBOPredictions2014  (2776 theaters, $ 3456 per theater)
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$ 8,8 mln  --  Box Office team
$ 8,5 mln  --  Mitch Metcalf, ShowBuzzDaily
$ 8,3 mln  --  Laremy Legel, RopeOfSilicon

$ 8 mln  --  Gitesh Pandya, BoxOfficeGuru
$ 8 mln  --  ThisIsNotMyName, BoxOfficePredictionsOnline
$ 6 mln  --  C.S. Strowbridge, The-Numbers

Sensei White Lotus, BreitBart, Ray Subers, BoxOfficeMojo, SaberToothDragon, BoxOfficeFrontier, didn't post his shot for this movie.

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2014 08 22 – If I Stay, Sin City: A Dame to Kill for, When the Game Stands Tall

I feel sorry for Sylvester Stallone and the rest of past heroes of Expendables franchise. They want to make new movies, to be a part of exciting stories. But scripts they are getting don't give them a favor. Sixty years ago aged star actors -- like John Wayne and James Garner -- still played in western dramas, actions, comedies. Maybe it's an action genre thing, because Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon managed to land into Grumpy Old Men.

This weekend we have three openings.

FRIDAY: All shots!

MONDAY: Official numbers!

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I CAN'T IMAGINE WATCHING THIS MOVIE MUNCHING POPCORN

This movie, If I Stay, is a drama PG-13 movie, from Warner Bros.

Chloe Grace Moretz is becoming a new Natalie Portman. The pattern of starting in movies at young age, getting acting chops in front of the camera, building on that to reach an enormous potential and versatility: I hope we will see Miss Moretz in great movies in near future.

This one looks fantastic. It promises a wide set of emotions -- love, loneliness, jealousy, anger, loss, kindness, passion (for music), hope, despair -- with an overwhelming question hanging right over: what is it in our lives that makes it worth going on? Or in case of the lead character: going back?

As I'm writing in the headline, I can't imagine watching this movie with mouth full of popcorn. I can imagine a room full of people crying. Laughing. Sighing. Cheering. Just like at screenings of Guardians of the Galaxy. It's definitely the second best movie experience of the year.

Shots:

$ 31,23 mln  --  Mario Ludwinski, USBOPredictions2014  (2907 theaters, $ 10,744 per theater)
$ 21,5 mln  --  Ray Subers, BoxOfficeMojo
$ 21,5 mln  --  Edward Douglas, ComingSoon
$ 20 mln  --  Andy Burns, BiffBamPop
$ 19,5 mln  --  Box Office team
$ 19 mln  --  Sensei White Lotus, BreitBart
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$ 16 mln  --  C.S. Strowbridge, The-Numbers
$ 16 mln  --  Gitesh Pandya, BoxOfficeGuru
$ 16 mln  --  Mitch Metcalf, ShowBuzzDaily
$ 15,68 mln  --  the official weekend number of the movie  (2907 theaters, $ 5394 per theater)
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$ 14 mln  --  ThisIsNotMyName, BoxOfficePredictionsOnline
$ 12,5 mln  --  Laremy Legel, RopeOfSilicon

SaberToothDragon, BoxOfficeFrontier, didn't post a shoot for this movie.

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AS A PROMOTIONAL STUNT, I SUGGEST A BLACK-WHITE SAUCE FOR NACHOS

This movie, Sin City: A Dame to Kill for, is an action R movie, from Weinstein.

I understand a distinct visual style of Sin City (no matter what medium it is translated into). The violence is justified there, as well as is sex. This movie, however, feels stretched. I can hear producers talking about making a sequel that needs to be bigger and faster, but not necessarily be more surprising. They try to provide us more tension and action, but can they really compete with Marv's hunting of the Elijah Wood's cannibal? The answer is probably yes, though I'm sure it doesn't involve riding a mansion and fighting several henchmen. This is a wrong way, I think the box office number will show that.

Shots:

$ 30 mln  --  Andy Burns, BiffBamPop
$ 26 mln  --  SaberToothDragon, BoxOfficeFrontier
$ 23 mln  --  ThisIsNotMyName, BoxOfficePredictionsOnline
$ 21 mln  --  C.S. Strowbridge, The-Numbers
$ 20,8 mln  --  Laremy Legel, RopeOfSilicon
$ 20,58 mln  --  Mario Ludwinski, USBOPredictions2014  (2894 theaters, $ 7112 per theater)
$ 18,5 mln  --  Mitch Metcalf, ShowBuzzDaily
$ 18,3 mln  --  Edward Douglas, ComingSoon
$ 16,5 mln  --  Ray Subers, BoxOfficeMojo
$ 15 mln  --  Box Office team

$ 14 mln  --  Gitesh Pandya, BoxOfficeGuru

$ 13 mln  --  Sensei White Lotus, BreitBart
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$ 6,32 mln  --  the official weekend number of the movie  (2894 theaters, $ 2183 per theater)

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IS IT A FAIR GAME WHEN ONE TEAM PLAYS IN FULL SPORT CLOTHES, AND THE OTHER IN FORMAL PANTS?

This movie, When the Game Stands Tall, is a drama PG-13 movie, from Sony.

This movie is great for all people who know personally characters depicted in it. Also football coaches can pick up a few cool leadership tricks from Jim Caviezel. Just how many theaters can they fill?

Also, this is a strange drama (by definition, dealing with a human conflict), when we can't see on the poster faces of people touched by the conflict. Maybe the poster tries to reach to women, though it would be a sexist thing.

Shots:

$ 14 mln  --  SaberToothDragon, BoxOfficeFrontier
$ 11,3 mln  --  Edward Douglas, ComingSoon

$ 11 mln  --  Box Office team
$ 11 mln  --  Gitesh Pandya, BoxOfficeGuru

$ 11 mln  --  Andy Burns, BiffBamPop

$ 10 mln  --  ThisIsNotMyName, BoxOfficePredictionsOnline

$ 9,5 mln  --  Mitch Metcalf, ShowBuzzDaily
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$ 9,2 mln  --  Sensei White Lotus, BreitBart
$ 9 mln  --  C.S. Strowbridge, The-Numbers
$ 9 mln  --  Ray Subers, BoxOfficeMojo
$ 8,8 mln  --  Laremy Legel, RopeOfSilicon
$ 8,38 mln  --  the official weekend number of the movie  (2673 theaters, $ 3136 per theater)
$ 8,09 mln  --  Mario Ludwinski, USBOPredictions2014  (2673 theaters, $ 3025 per theater)

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2014 08 15 – Let's Be Cops, The Expendables 3, The Giver

Scoring two movies right is always nice, even if there are four openings total. This weekend I expect to get at least one movie right. It doesn't look too hard, since none of them should earn more than $ 25 mln.

This weekend we have three openings.

FRIDAY: All shots!

MONDAY: Official numbers!

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FOR A MOMENT I THOUGHT IT WAS A DOCU-DRAMA ABOUT EXPLODING CUPS, A.K.A. BREAST IMPLANTS

This movie, Let's Be Cops, is a comedy R movie, from Fox.

To be honest, I'm quite intrigued by this movie. The concept is quite good. Two easy-goings discover how it is to be responsible. Since they don't know police from polis, their attempts of exercising the lawn (sorry -- law) are a mixed bag of what they know from TV car chase shows, The Beverly Hills Cop, Dirty Harry, Robocop, and mean pleasure of getting even with local scumbags of the past. The reality twist -- trying to take down a real crime boss -- serves as a proof of their maturity, skills, and comedy.

Two things I'm afraid of. First: how much original character was poured into both leads? Are they fully fleshed out people or just one-dimensional cartoons? Second: probably I'm not the only one who sees Chevy Chase/Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd in those roles. Will the actual actors stand up to this challenge of comparison? The trailer doesn't answer any of these two questions, so I remain sceptical for this movie's chances of earning money.

Shots:

$ 25 mln  --  Laremy Legel, RopeOfSilicon

$ 22 mln  --  C.S. Strowbridge, The-Numbers

$ 21 mln  --  Box Office team

$ 20 mln  --  Mitch Metcalf, ShowBuzzDaily

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$ 19,3 mln  --  Edward Douglas, ComingSoon
$ 17,82 mln  --  the official weekend number of the movie  (3094 theaters, $ 5758 per theater)

$ 17 mln  --  Ray Subers, BoxOfficeMojo

$ 17 mln  --  Gitesh Pandya, BoxOfficeGuru

$ 16,54 mln  --  Mario Ludwinski, USBOPredictions2014  (3094 theaters, $ 5346 per theater)

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$ 15 mln  --  ThisIsNotMyName, BoxOfficePredictionsOnline

$ 14 mln  --  Andy Burns, BiffBamPop

Sensei White Lotus, BreitBart, SaberToothDragon, BoxOfficeFrontier, didn't post a shoot for this movie.

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I HEARD THE EXPENDABLES 4 WILL BE ACTUALLY NAMED THE EXPENDABLE KIDS, WITH ROBERT RODRIGUEZ AT THE DIRECTOR'S HELM

This movie, The Expendables 3, is an action PG-13 movie, from Paramount.

There are a lot of puns about this movie circulating the internet. I'll just say this movie is a needless one. The first movie opened in 3270 theaters, with $ 10,650 per theater. The second one: in 3316 theaters, with $ 8622 per theater. This one goes in 3221 theaters, that is a bad idea. Audience clearly is losing interest, so it would be good to lower theaters's count to raise a per theater number.

Shots:

$ 27 mln  --  Laremy Legel, RopeOfSilicon

$ 26,3 mln  --  Edward Douglas, ComingSoon

$ 26 mln  --  SaberToothDragon, BoxOfficeFrontier

$ 25 mln  --  Mitch Metcalf, ShowBuzzDaily

$ 24 mln  --  C.S. Strowbridge, The-Numbers

$ 24 mln  --  Ray Subers, BoxOfficeMojo

$ 24 mln  --  Gitesh Pandya, BoxOfficeGuru

$ 23 mln  --  ThisIsNotMyName, BoxOfficePredictionsOnline

$ 22 mln  --  Box Office team

$ 22 mln  --  Andy Burns, BiffBamPop

$ 21,63 mln  --  Mario Ludwinski, USBOPredictions2014  (3221 theaters, $ 6715 per theater)

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$ 15,88 mln  --  the official weekend number of the movie  (3221 theaters, $ 4930 per theater)

Sensei White Lotus, BreitBart, didn't post a shoot for this movie.

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HELLO, FOLKSH! IT'SH ME, JSHEFF BURIDGDGESH!

This movie, The Giver, is an action PG-13 movie, from Paramount.

Last year there was a movie R.I.P.D., starring Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds. In the trailer Bridges's character was talking in a way no one could understand. I wrote an amusing headline for this movie, I couldn't help myself not to repeat it this time.\

But let's go serious. Young Adults books and movies send positive message to kids that enter the world of insecured jobs, student debts, awkward emotional relationships. You are important, even if no one knows it. You possess inner power to succeed. The world is wonderful, if you are not afraid of it. There are all great messages.

This movie, however, brings a message like this: after you go to a house of an elderly man, and spend a night in there, you start to see the world in different colors. Legally it can be okay, since the hero is a young adult, but still -- the message feels mixed, at best.

The movie itself is an expendable one (this was stronger than me...). It has Beautiful Creatures (2950 theaters, $ 2571 per theater) written all over. 

Shots:

$ 20 mln  --  ThisIsNotMyName, BoxOfficePredictionsOnline

$ 19 mln  --  SaberToothDragon, BoxOfficeFrontier

$ 16,5 mln  --  Ray Subers, BoxOfficeMojo
$ 15,4 mln  --  Laremy Legel, RopeOfSilicon

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$ 13,5 mln  --  Edward Douglas, ComingSoon

$ 13,5 mln  --  Mitch Metcalf, ShowBuzzDaily

$ 13 mln  --  C.S. Strowbridge, The-Numbers
$ 12,31 mln  --  the official weekend number of the movie  (3003 theaters, $ 4098 per theater)
$ 12 mln  --  Box Office team
$ 12 mln  --  Gitesh Pandya, BoxOfficeGuru
$ 12 mln  --  Andy Burns, BiffBamPop
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$ 8,44 mln  --  Mario Ludwinski, USBOPredictions2014  (3003 theaters, $ 2811 per theater)

Sensei White Lotus, BreitBart, didn't post a shoot for this movie.

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2014 08 08 – Into the Storm, Step Up All In, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Hundred-Foot Journey

I love to err on the big side of things. I expected Guardians of the Galaxy to open even higher than it did. I missed the 10 per cent bracket by 0,2 per cent, but that's okay. It was a fantastic movie, it was a fantastic opening for a movie that played with audience on its terms. Good job, Marvel!

This weekend we have four openings.

FRIDAY: All shots!

MONDAY: Official numbers!

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YOU KNOW WHAT DOES THIS MOVIE LACK? SHARKS!

This movie, Into the Storm, is a thriller/suspense PG-13 movie, from Warner Bros.

When I saw in the trailer that the whirlwind took up a plane from the ground, I started to laugh. Loud. In a theater room. I can stomach a shark tornado in a SyFy movie, because it is bad as a purpose. This time producers tried to do a respectable movie... It was a good laugh, honest, from my heart.

As for shooting, thrillers are a dying genre. The good ones steer off into horror field, the bad ones emulate action movies with lots of explosions covering up (unsuccessfully) plot holes. Into the Storm is a perfect example of the second type. How much it can earn? $ 5000-5500 per theater is within grasp, I'm quite sure.

Shots:

$ 19,5 mln  --  Laremy Legel, RopeOfSilicon
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$ 18,54 mln  --  Mario Ludwinski, USBOPredictions2014  (3434 theaters, $ 5400 per theater)
$ 17 mln  --  Gitesh Pandya, BoxOfficeGuru

$ 17,35 mln  --  the official weekend number of the movie  (3434 theaters, $ 5051 per theater)
$ 16,8 mln  --  Edward Douglas, ComingSoon

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$ 15,5 mln  --  Mitch Metcalf, ShowBuzzDaily

$ 15 mln  --  ThisIsNotMyName, BoxOfficePredictionsOnline
$ 14 mln  --  Box Office team
$ 14 mln  --  Ray Subers, BoxOfficeMojo
$ 14 mln  --  Sensei White Lotus, BreitBart
$ 14 mln  --  SaberToothDragon, BoxOfficeFrontier
$ 14 mln  --  Andy Burns, BiffBamPop
$ 12 mln  --  C.S. Strowbridge, The-Numbers

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THE AMERICAN DREAM 2014 VERSION: HAVE CRAPPY DAY JOB, LIVE DREAMS AT WEEKEND NIGHTS

This movie, Step Up All In, is a drama PG-13 movie, from Lionsgate.

I admire determination of producers to continue make those movies. I watched and really liked seasons two, three, four, and five of So You Think You Can Dance (US version). But dancing movies -- as strange as it sounds -- lack story and building characters. In TV show, we get a couple of weeks to get to know contenders. We see them in different dancing styles, we see how they react to hip hop, jazz, or classical. We make predictions who goes home this week, and who stays in competition. The movie doesn't have that time to build a rapport with audience. Pure dance -- although fantastic in its own technical terms -- is not enough to pull people in theaters.

In 2010 Step Up 3D opened with $ 6494 per theater. In 2012 Step Up Revolution opened with $ 4570 per theater. This year Step Up All In can get about $ 4200-4300 per theater. Las Vegas has its charm, maybe it will help sell some tickets.

Shots:

$ 10,2 mln  --  Box Office team
$ 10,1 mln  --  Ray Subers, BoxOfficeMojo
$ 10 mln  --  C.S. Strowbridge, The-Numbers
$ 10 mln  --  Andy Burns, BiffBamPop
$ 9,7 mln  --  Mitch Metcalf, ShowBuzzDaily

$ 9,5 mln  --  Edward Douglas, ComingSoon

$ 9 mln  --  Gitesh Pandya, BoxOfficeGuru

$ 8,82 mln  --  Mario Ludwinski, USBOPredictions2014  (2072 theaters, $ 4255 per theater)
$ 8,7 mln  --  Sensei White Lotus, BreitBart
$ 8 mln  --  Laremy Legel, RopeOfSilicon
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$ 7 mln  --  SaberToothDragon, BoxOfficeFrontier
$ 6,47 mln  --  the official weekend number of the movie  (2072 theaters, $ 3123 per theater)

ThisIsNotMyName, BoxOfficePredictionsOnline, didn't post his shot for this movie.

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WOULD IT BE TOO BIG DEVIATION FROM SOURCE MATERIAL TO COMPLETELY DROP OFF WORDS teenage AND mutant?

This movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, is an adventure PG-13 movie, from Paramount.

Kids love crap movies, as long as they are starred with characters they can refer to. TMNTs love pizza and they don't care about smells. I think it is a perfect combination for seven-year-olds.

In terms of commercial toy power -- this is the only reason this movie exists, let's be crystal clear --TMNTs is lower than Transformers's line for sure, but is probably higher than G.I.Joe's line. G.I.Joe: Retaliation opened last year $ 10,891 per theater. I shot for $ 12,110 per theater.

Shots:

$ 65,58 mln  --  the official weekend number of the movie  (3845 theaters, $ 17,055 per theater)
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$ 46,56 mln  --  Mario Ludwinski, USBOPredictions2014  (3845 theaters, $ 12,110 per theater)
$ 42 mln  --  Ray Subers, BoxOfficeMojo
$ 41,7 mln  --  Edward Douglas, ComingSoon
$ 40 mln  --  Box Office team
$ 38,5 mln  --  Mitch Metcalf, ShowBuzzDaily
$ 38 mln  --  Sensei White Lotus, BreitBart
$ 37 mln  --  Andy Burns, BiffBamPop
$ 36 mln  --  Gitesh Pandya, BoxOfficeGuru
$ 35 mln  --  SaberToothDragon, BoxOfficeFrontier
$ 34 mln  --  C.S. Strowbridge, The-Numbers
$ 33,3 mln  --  Laremy Legel, RopeOfSilicon
$ 28 mln  --  ThisIsNotMyName, BoxOfficePredictionsOnline

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EVERY JOURNEY HAS ITS FINAL STEP

This movie, The Hundred-Foot Journey, is a drama PG-13 movie, from Disney.

Dramas need to be judged for themes they cover and life wisdom they try to convey. This time themes are: clash of cultures taken to a personal level, ambition of achieving success, stranger in a strange land. Life wisdom can be viewed as: true talent always prevails, be open to other people, let's celebrate life. They sound lame, but they can be shown in a movie in a powerful and motivational way.

This movie feels to me like an average drama. Nice to watch if you like that genre, but it doesn't hold a long-term value. It doesn't move the same way through the second, or third, or tenth watching. I think it can make around $ 5650 per theater, but that's it.

Shots:

$ 12 mln  --  SaberToothDragon, BoxOfficeFrontier
$ 11,43 mln  --  Mario Ludwinski, USBOPredictions2014  (2023 theaters, $ 5650 per theater)
$ 10,98 mln  --  the official weekend number of the movie  (2023 theaters, $ 5427 per theater)
$ 10,3 mln  --  Box Office team
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$ 9,5 mln  --  Ray Subers, BoxOfficeMojo
$ 9,5 mln  --  Mitch Metcalf, ShowBuzzDaily
$ 9 mln  --  C.S. Strowbridge, The-Numbers
$ 9 mln  --  ThisIsNotMyName, BoxOfficePredictionsOnline
$ 8,8 mln  --  Edward Douglas, ComingSoon

$ 8,2 mln  --  Laremy Legel, RopeOfSilicon

$ 8 mln  --  Gitesh Pandya, BoxOfficeGuru

$ 8 mln  --  Sensei White Lotus, BreitBart

Andy Burns, BiffBamPop, didn't post his shot for this movie.

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2014 08 01 – Get On Up, Guardians of the Galaxy

A slow summer season of 2014 is slowly coming to an end. Previous years thrilled us with weekends with all openings going over $ 120-130 mln. This year the best we've got was $ 106,52 mln (22 Jump Street, How to Train Your Dragon 2) and $ 105,11 mln (Blended, X-Men: Days of Future Past). That's it. Any of the four weeks ahead won't cross $ 100 mln total sum of all openings. There are just not enough quality movies. In the four weeks we will get Guardians of the Galaxy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Expendables 3, Sin City: A Dame for the Kill. As a single movies, they will do okay (Sin City aside, since it's an R-rated movie). The rest is a filler, though. They dream about high teens on their openings.

Critics may criticize all they want, but are wrong: comic-book movies are of now a driving force for movie business. Theaters's halls would be bleak, unfriendly places without big, colorful, adventureous posters of men and women in costumes. So maybe it is a good thing to acknowledge their value, from time to time? You don't have to save your enthusiasm until the next year's The Avengers: Age of Ultron (yes, it will break all records known to mankind). You can, you know, get hooked on a feeling...

This weekend we have two openings.

FRIDAY: All shots!

MONDAY: Official numbers!

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IT'S LIKE FIFTY SHADES OF GREY FOR 50+ WOMEN

This movie, Get On Up, is a drama PG-13 movie, from Universal.

Biography movies tend to be emotional. In interviews producers tell they want to show fans the persons behind the name, the music, the game, the works. They are the smart ones. The not-so-smart ones bubble about drama, tough choices, sacrifices. My question is: why?

In football/soccer I love team dynamics and creativity born in split seconds. In music I love melodies and rhythms. In movies I love stories and sympathetic characters. Experiences.

I don't really care about people who deliver. I cherish them, because they create. I want them to create more. But looking behind curtain strips experiences of mystery. Looking them struggle in life as much or even more than I am doesn't add value for me. Marketing experts say successful restaurants sell comfortable place and pleasure of being served. Unsuccessful venues bring guests to kitchens to watch how food is actually made.

This movie may work, because it allows to re-experience moments audience lived when they heard music of James Brown. The per theater number can be quite high, though, because this movie opens in 2468 cinemas. It's not much, seats will be crowded. I expect $ 7500 per theater, a summer bump included.

Shots:

$ 19 mln  --  C.S. Strowbridge, The-Numbers

$ 19 mln  --  Box Office team
$ 18,6 mln  --  Edward Douglas, ComingSoon
$ 18,51 mln  --  Mario Ludwinski, USBOPredictions2014  (2468 theaters, $ 7500 per theater)
$ 17,5 mln  --  Mitch Metcalf, ShowBuzzDaily

$ 16,5 mln  --  Laremy Legel, RopeOfSilicon
$ 15,5 mln  --  Ray Subers, BoxOfficeMojo

$ 15 mln  --  Gitesh Pandya, BoxOfficeGuru

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$ 14 mln  --  Sensei White Lotus, BreitBart
$ 14 mln  --  Andy Burns, BiffBamPop
$ 13,59 mln  --  the official weekend number of the movie  (2468 theaters, $ 5505 per theater)
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$ 10 mln  --  ThisIsNotMyName, BoxOfficePredictionsOnline

$ 8 mln  --  SaberToothDragon, BoxOfficeFrontier

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THEY ARE NO AVENGERS, BUT THEY BRING A LOT OF FUN

This movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, is an adventure PG-13 movie, from Disney.

I bought a ticket for the first show on Friday. Yes, I'm a Marvel-doing-Marvel fan. I didn't watch X-Men: Days of Future Past, nor The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

If you read reviews online, they are accurate to a point. The movie start slowly and roughly, because it needs to setup many things. The first Avengers avoided that by introducing characters and locations in separate movies. You will see it was a wise move. But when things start to move (prison), they work smoothly. Fun is here, lost of laughs, Rocket & Groot are great. Thanos is closing in.

Seeing the movie didn't help me with coming up with a number below. Opening in 4080 theaters is higher by 142 venues than opening of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I think it shows owners trust this movie will pack lots of people: young, old, men, women, kids. It is light enough for everybody to enjoy. The only thing can scare people off is a space adventure scenery. Some people just don't like when they can't see a blue sky above. Also, they could hold bad memories with encounters with raccoons.

All in all, I like Guardians very much. Hope and cheer for the best. Taking into account there are lots of kids without fear of raccoons, I go for the biggest opening per theater this year.

Shots:

$ 103,95 mln  --  Mario Ludwinski, USBOPredictions2014  (4080 theaters, $ 25,477 per theater)
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$ 94,32 mln  --  the official weekend number of the movie  (4080 theaters, $ 23,118 per theater)
$ 85 mln  --  Sensei White Lotus, BreitBart
$ 85 mln  --  Andy Burns, BiffBamPop
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$ 82 mln  --  Ray Subers, BoxOfficeMojo
$ 76 mln  --  C.S. Strowbridge, The-Numbers
$ 75 mln  --  Box Office team
$ 72 mln  --  Gitesh Pandya, BoxOfficeGuru
$ 71,2 mln  --  Edward Douglas, ComingSoon
$ 71 mln  --  Mitch Metcalf, ShowBuzzDaily
$ 70 mln  --  SaberToothDragon, BoxOfficeFrontier
$ 65,5 mln  --  Laremy Legel, RopeOfSilicon

$ 55 mln  --  ThisIsNotMyName, BoxOfficePredictionsOnline

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