‘Charlie’ set for sweet weekend at box office By Nicole Sperling
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Johnny Depp is set to lure kids of all ages to movie theaters this weekend when “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” rolls down the conveyer belt.
Industry experts put the film’s three-day gross in a wide range: conservative estimates are at the high $40 million mark, while optimistic predictions reach as high as $60 million.
Also opening Friday is “Wedding Crashers,” a raunchy comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. Insiders place the film’s gross in the $30 million range.
Both films are tracking well with audiences and could do much to boost overall sales, which ended a 19-week losing streak last weekend thanks to the better-than-expected $56 million debut of “Fantastic Four.” Twentieth Century Fox’s Marvel Comics adaptation is likely to fall at least 50% this weekend.
Warner Bros.’ “Charlie,” in which Depp plays reclusive confectionery magnate Willy Wonka, has received primarily positive reviews leading up to its opening in 3,770 locations.
Director Tim Burton’s take is truer to Roald Dahl’s classic 1964 fantasy novel, faithfully adapted by screenwriter John August, than to the beloved 1971 film, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” which starred Gene Wilder.
The PG-rated film co-stars Freddie Highmore (Depp’s co-star in last year’s “Finding Neverland”), Deep Roy, David Kelly and Helena Bonham Carter, among others.
If whimsy and fantasy don’t do it for the average filmgoer, perhaps sexual escapades and R-rated comedy will. “Wedding Crashers” stars Vaughn and Wilson, as business partners and lifelong friends who share the unique hobby of springtime wedding crashing.
From director David Dobkin, who worked with Wilson on “Shanghai Knights” and Vaughn on “Clay Pigeons,” “Crashers” co-stars Canadian uber-babe Rachel McAdams, while Sen. John McCain makes a cameo. New Line Cinema’s R-rated release opens in 2,925 theaters.
In limited release this weekend, Lions Gate Films will bow “Happy Endings,” written and directed by Don Roos and starring an ensemble cast including Lisa Kudrow, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Tom Arnold. The film weaves multiple stories in a look at love, family and the unpredictability of life.
Miramax Films will open “The Warrior,” the first film from British director Asif Kapadia. Shot throughout India, the drama centers on a warrior who renounces his longtime role as an enforcer.
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