Last weekend, the hit animated sequelKung Fu Panda 3ended the first month of 2016 on a high note at thebox office, taking in $48 million in its opening weekend. In the first frame of February, this adventure will face three new movies, Universal’sHail, Caesar!, Sony’sPride and Prejudice and Zombiesand Lionsgate’sThe Choice. If the projections at BoxOffice.com are correct, none of these will likely beatKung Fu Panda 3, which should win this weekend with an estimated $22.6 million.
The animated sequelKung Fu Panda 3currently has a solid 80% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it opened in 3,955 theaters, which will still make it the widest release in theaters this weekend, by a long-shot.Kung Fu Panda 3marks the return of one of the most successful animated franchises in the world, with its biggest comedy adventure yet. When Po’s (Jack Black) long-lost panda father (Bryan Cranston) suddenly reappears, the reunited duo travels to a secret panda paradise to meet scores of hilarious new panda characters. But when the supernatural villain Kai (Mads Mikkelsen) begins to sweep across China defeating all the kung fu masters, Po must do the impossible-learn to train a village full of his fun-loving, clumsy brethren to become the ultimate band of Kung Fu Pandas! The voice cast is rounded out byAngelina Jolie,Seth Rogen,Lucy Liu,Dustin Hoffman,David Cross,James HongandKate Hudson.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombiesis expected to have the highest rollout among the new releases with an estimated 2,800 theaters, followed byThe Choicewith 2,600 theaters andHail, Caesar!in 2,200 theaters. Despite opening in the least amount of theaters,Hail, Caesar!is expected to take second place with $14.5 million, followed byPride and Prejudice and Zombieswith $11.5 million withThe Choicetaking $8.5 million and holdoverFifty Shades of Blackrounding out the top 5 with $6.2 million. At this time,Pride and Prejudice and Zombiescurrently has a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but not enough reviews are out yet to determine a TomatoMeter score forThe ChoiceandHail, Caesar!We’ll have to wait and see how the critics respond to these movies as we get closer to the Friday release date.
Four-time Oscar-winning filmmakersJoel CoenandEthan Coenwrite and directHail, Caesar!, an all-starcomedyset during the latter years of Hollywood’s Golden Age. The story follows a single day in the life of a studio fixer who is presented with plenty of problems to fix. The ensemble cast includesJosh Brolin,George Clooney,Ralph Fiennes,Tilda Swinton,Channing Tatum,Scarlett Johansson,Jonah HillandFrances McDormand.
InPride and Prejudice and Zombies, a zombie outbreak has fallen upon the land in Jane Austen’s classic tale of the tangled relationships between lovers from different social classes in 19th century England. Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet (Lily James) is a master of martial arts and weaponry and the handsome Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley) is a fierce zombie killer, yet the epitome of upper class prejudice. As the zombie outbreak intensifies, they must swallow their pride and join forces on the blood-soaked battlefield. The supporting cast includesBella Heathcote,Jack Huston,Douglas Booth,Emma Greenwell,Matt Smith,Lena HeadeyandCharles Dance.
The Choicetells the story of Travis Parker (Benjamin Walker) and Gabby Holland (Teresa Palmer), who meet first as neighbors in a small coastal town and end up pursuing a relationship that neither could have foreseen. Spanning a decade and tracing the evolution of a love affair that is ultimately tested by life’s most defining events, this story features a memorable ensemble of friends and family inNicholas Sparks' beloved North Carolina setting, culminating in the question that every couple must ask themselves: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive? The supporting cast includesMaggie Grace,Alexandra Daddario,Tom WellingandTom Wilkinson.
Rounding out the top 10 will beThe Finest Hours($6 million),The Revenant($5.8 million),Star Wars: The Force Awakens($3.9 million),Ride Along 2($3.7 million) andDirty Grandpa($3.1 million).Star Wars: The Force Awakensis closing in on $900 million domestic and $2 billion worldwide, milestones it will most likely surpass sometime this week, although this could be its last week in the top 10. The film dropped 809 theaters last weekend, bringing its theater count down to 2,556, but we’ll have to see how many theaters it sheds this weekend. Also opening in limited release isRegression, starringEmma WatsonandEthan Hawkeand the comedyTumbledownstarringJason SudeikisandRebecca Hall.
Looking ahead to next weekend, 20th Century Fox’s highly-anticipatedDeadpoolwill go up against a pair of comedy’s, Paramount’sZoolander 2and Warner Bros.‘How to Be Single. Also opening in limited release is the horror anthology Southbound, Touched with Fire,Providence,Of Mind and MusicandFitor. Be sure to check back on Sunday for the box office estimates, and again next Tuesday for our predictions. Until then, take a look at the projected estimates for the weekend of February 5.
