Vampire thriller set to bite box office rivals
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – The new Kate Beckinsale horror film “Underworld: Evolution” is expected to lead the weekend box office, while Golden Globes glory should boost business for “Brokeback Mountain” and “Walk the Line.”
It looks to be a pitched battle for No. 2 between incumbent champ “Glory Road” and “Hoodwinked,” which were separated by a mere $48,187 last weekend during the four-day Martin Luther King holiday.
Screen Gems’ “Underworld: Evolution” is a sequel to the 2003 hit “Underworld,” which opened to $21.8 million and went on to glean $51.5 million. Additional success on home video should help the sequel approach — and maybe surpass — that opening level.
The R-rated film centers on an ancient feud between vampires and werewolves and interweaves a forbidden interspecies romance between the groups. As with its predecessor, the film was directed by Len Wiseman, Beckinsale’s husband.
Disney’s college basketball movie “Glory Road” has been performing strongly during the week, and the film generated exceptionally high exit-poll scores, which should contribute significantly to positive word-of-mouth. It bowed to $16.93 million last weekend. As the only new family-oriented film in the marketplace, the Weinstein Co.’s computer-animated “Hoodwinked” should be a player as well.
The four Globe wins Monday for “Brokeback” helped spur the gay cowboy romance to some hardy midweek grosses; it was the No. 1 film across North America on Tuesday and Wednesday. This weekend, distributor Focus Features is almost doubling its theater count to 1,194 outlets (vs. 3,207 for “Underworld: Evolution,” 2,396 for “Glory Road” and 3,002 for “Hoodwinked”).
Fox’s Johnny Cash bipic, which picked up three Globes, adds 242 runs in its ninth weekend, taking the total to 1,106. It should be enough to propel the film past $100 million.
The only other new picture to arrive in wide release is Rocky Mountain Pictures’ “End of the Spear,” which opens in 1,162 theaters. The drama, based on a true story, largely takes place in the eastern rain forests of Ecuador. It centers on a member of the Waodani tribe whose life is changed when five missionaries are killed, which, in turn, transforms the entire tribe and touches the lives of all involved, including the missionaries’ children.
After a brief limited run in December for Academy qualification, New Line Cinema’s “The New World” will arrive in about 800 theaters. Terrence Malick directed and wrote the screenplay for the PG-13 drama, which stars Colin Farrell and is based on the story of Pocahontas and the cultural collision between the European explorers and American Indians.
Warner Independent Pictures will release “Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World” in 161 locations. Albert Brooks stars in, wrote and directed the PG-13 comedy, which has met with some controversy because of its title and subject matter but has garnered positive reviews and reportedly has been well received in Muslim communities.
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