The Christmas offensive has begun and studios are scrambling to score big bucks as Christmas falls on a Tuesday this year, which gives Friday releases a five-day extended weekend. Which movie will be the next "The Greatest Showman" ?
Warner Bros is offering its latest DC Comics flick, James Wan's "Aquaman", which critics are saying is pretty good, though not great. The film has already scored $13.7 million from advanced previews and it might end up raking in over $120 million for the five-day timeframe.
Paramount has released its "Transformers" spinoff "Bumblebee", which has received great reviews from critics (94% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and it looks primed to revigorate the dying franchise. The film has brought in $2.85 million from previews, which could amount to a $20-30 million weekend.
Disney brings out the big guns with "Mary Poppins Returns", the perfect nostalgia vehicle, finely calibrated to suck the money right out of your wallets. Reviews have been generous, but not overly enthusiastic. As for its box-office prospects, the film opened on December 19, which gives it a really long seven-day run until Christmas, making weekend predictions trickier. Pundits expect it to gross around $30 million over the weekend and $60 million for the seven-day timeframe. However, it's fair to assume that this musical behemoth will be around for some time, and will probably be making a lot more money in the long run.
Universal's "Welcome to Marwen" starring Steve Carell is the holiday season's odd duck. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film is a biopic inspired by the award-winning 2010 documentary "Marwencol" about artist and photographer Mark Hogancamp, who built an intimate fantasy world in his backyard that helped him rebuild his life after a devastating attack wiped away all his memories. The real-life story is inspirational, no doubt about that, but Zemeckis' blend of live-action drama and CGI fantasy adventure left critics scratching their heads. Apparently the film is a disjointed mess and audiences seem to agree. The film is expected to rake in around $7 million for the five-day extended weekend. While it only cost $39 million to produce, it's still bad news for Universal.
And finally, we have the Jennifer Lopez romantic comedy "Second Act", a light flick for the holidays that relies heavily on its leading lady's charisma. As expected the film received mixed-to-negative reviews, and equal disdain from moviegoers. The weekend debut is expected to go as low as $5 million.
Synopses, details, critical/audience reception, trailers, and more after the jump.
