“Ice Age” sequel set to heat up box office
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – The early spring thaw that drove the chill off the box office last weekend could escalate into genuine global warming this go-round as the animated sequel “Ice Age: The Meltdown” launches in North America and a number of foreign territories.
Although three other wide releases, including “Basic Instinct 2,” will bid for moviegoers’ attention, “Meltdown” is guaranteed to dominate the North American box office, possibly hitting the $50 million mark.
20th Century Fox’s PG sequel continues the adventures of the prehistoric pack consisting of Ray Romano’s woolly mammoth, John Leguizamo’s sloth and Denis Leary’s saber-toothed tiger along with such new additions as a mammoth love interest voiced by Queen Latifah. The original “Ice Age” opened in mid-March 2002 with $46.3 million, and ended up with $176.4 million.
Universal Pictures’ reigning champ “Inside Man” — which made off with $29 million when it opened last weekend — should check in at No. 2.
Warner Bros. Pictures is making a pitch for the hip-hop crowd with “ATL,” a coming-of-age drama about four high school students in Atlanta. With a cast headed by Tip Harris (also known as rapper T.I.) and Lauren London, along with older actors like Mykelti Williamson, it should receive a receptive hearing from its core urban audience, which could add up to something approaching $10 million.
Sony Pictures’ release of the R-rated “Basic Instinct 2” revisits the murderous Catherine Tramell ( Sharon Stone) as she resurfaces in London, where she gets caught up in another sexually charged investigation being conducted by Scotland Yard and a psychiatrist played by David Morrissey.
The first “Instinct” opened to $15.1 million in 1992, but despite ticket-price inflation, its successor could be hard-pressed to climb into the double-digit millions. And it also will have to fend off such other adult-oriented R-rated fare as “Inside Man” and Warner Bros. Pictures’ “V for Vendetta,” which is entering its third weekend, to do so.
Universal’s “Slither,” an R-rated horror movie about alien plague, zombies and all manner of creepy creatures, isn’t afraid to stoop for laughs. But while the turnout among horror aficionados always is unpredictable, “Slither” could find this weekend a tough slog.
Categories