James Cameron may be king of the world, but the question is can a blast from his past take down The Hunger Games? Or will both films get eaten up by another helping of American Pie? Here are our predictions:
2012 marks the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, so it makes complete sense that James Cameron’s 1997 film gets rereleased to mark the occasion. But in typical Cameron style, he’s not just putting the same ole flick up on the screen – he’s given Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett a 3D makeover. Now normally I’d frown upon a non-3D film getting retrofitted (Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was a complete letdown in its 3D format) – but in the case of Titanic and James Cameron, I have a feeling this particular experience won’t disappoint. And seeing as how this moneymaking behemoth is the romance film to end all romance films, I think this rerelease will have a strong opening weekend. I’m predicting Titanic in 3D lands at number one with $36 million.
Keeping with the retro theme, this weekend also sees the release of American Reunion, the fourth film to feature the original cast of American Pie (there have been a few straight to DVD films in the franchise, but for all intents and purposes they don’t count). In the ensuing years since the first film (all the way back to 1999), some of the cast have gone on to great things (most notably Alyson Hannigan) while others are named Tara Reid. Regardless, this combination of actors will bring back fond memories for a while generation and should be able to generate some decent laughs as well. I think this weekend will be a slugfest between Titanic and American Reunion for number one, and I’m predicting the latter will place second with a solid $34 million. However, I could see both films flip-flopping by the time the numbers come out. It should be a close race.
As for the rest of the top five, Jennifer Lawrence and The Hunger Games will have to settle for third this weekend, but it still generate great box office returns, right in the neighbourhood of $30 million. Wrath of the Titans is underperforming when compared with 2010’s Clash of the Titans – look for a fourth place finish with $18 million. Mirror Mirror will close out the top five with $12 million.
So, to recap, here are our predictions:
1) Titanic in 3D – $36 million
2) American Reunion – $34 million
3) The Hunger Games – $30 million
4) Wrath of the Titans – $18 million
5) Mirror Mirror – $12 million
Be sure to check back on Sunday to see how the weekend turns out!
