Weekend Predictions: 'Oz: The Great and Powerful' & 'Dead Man Down'
Featured Stories - on March 06, 2013 by BOXOFFICE Staff
The second frame of March welcomes what should be the biggest debut so far of 2013. Disney launches Sam Raimi's Oz: The Great and Powerful and will be aiming to become the first movie of the year that captures a large family audience. Meanwhile, Dead Man Down will roll into theaters in an effort to counter-program.
Oz: The Great and Powerful
PROS:
- The original Wizard of Oz is a widely beloved film to this day.
- The Disney marketing machine.
- The ensemble cast led by James Franco helps the film stand out among audiences of varying ages.
- Families haven't had a high profile movie to choose from since The Hobbit.
- Director Sam Raimi is more well known to audiences compared to other directors thanks to his success with the Spider-Man trilogy.
- The slumping 2013 market and it's unappealing mainstream offerings could result in this being the benefactor of pent-up moviegoer demand for an event-like movie.
CONS:
- Reviews have been middling.
- While strong in it's own right, Twitter activity has trailed that of Snow White and the Huntsman during the comparable week of release.
- Franco and co. aren't really draws on their own.
- Is the early box office slump in 2013 attributed more to economical factors or choice/quality of movies?
Dead Man Down
PROS:
- Should provide decent counter-programming for action fans and those not looking to see Oz this weekend.
- Selling the film as "from the director of the original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" could entice fans of those films to come out.
- Facebook activity has been decent.
CONS:
- Marketing has done little to raise widespread awareness for the film.
- Colin Farrell isn't a significant box office draw.
- Twitter activity has trailed that of Seven Psychopaths.
Check out our predictions for these films and the remainder of the top 10 in the table below.
| Title | Release Date | Distributor | Opening Weekend | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oz: The Great and Powerful | Mar 8, 2013 | Disney |
$75,000,000 | $75,000,000 |
| Jack the Giant Slayer | Mar 1, 2013 | Warner Bros. / New Line |
$13,000,000 | $47,000,000 |
| Identity Thief | Feb 8, 2013 | Universal |
$6,200,000 | $116,400,000 |
| Dead Man Down | Mar 8, 2013 | FilmDistrict |
$5,000,000 | $5,000,000 |
| 21 And Over | Mar 1, 2013 | Relativity Media |
$4,700,000 | $16,400,000 |
| Snitch (2013) | Feb 22, 2013 | Lionsgate / Summit |
$4,600,000 | $31,300,000 |
| Silver Linings Playbook | Nov 16, 2012 | Weinstein Company |
$4,500,000 | $121,400,000 |
| Escape From Planet Earth | Feb 15, 2013 | Weinstein Company |
$3,800,000 | $48,500,000 |
| Safe Haven | Feb 14, 2013 | Relativity Media |
$3,700,000 | $62,700,000 |
| The Last Exorcism Part II | Mar 1, 2013 | CBS Films |
$2,800,000 | $11,700,000 |
Phil Contrino, Daniel Garris, Alex Edghill, and Shawn Robbins contributed to this report.
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