Foster enters “Brave” new world at box office
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Jodie Foster’s latest thriller, “The Brave One,” leads three new releases that will attempt to stir North American moviegoers from their theatrical ennui.
The Warner Bros. film, in which Foster plays a brutalized woman seeking justice and revenge in equal measures, looks likely to fetch at least $15 million and probably cop the weekend crown.
An even braver performance would see “Brave One” drawing from other demographics in addition to Foster’s core base of women aged 25 and older. Tracking data also show good interest among older males.
Also opening Friday are the comedy “Mr. Woodcock” and the effects-heavy action movie “Dragon Wars.”
“Mr. Woodcock,” which casts Billy Bob Thornton as a hard-boiled gym teacher, could reach the double-digit millions. Executives at the film’s distributor, New Line Cinema, see younger moviegoers as the key, but hope the “Woodcock” premise holds broad appeal. “Woodcock” also stars Susan Sarandon as Thornton’s intended bride and the mother of his appalled former student (Seann William Scott).
“Dragon Wars,” distributed by Freestyle Releasing, is the weekend wild card. A Korean production, the English-language film boasts a Western cast and was shot partly in Los Angeles — a city beset by dragons.
Observers figure “Dragon’s” box office will be limited to the single-digit millions, with genre interest likely to be keenest in home-entertainment windows.
Last weekend’s champ, “3:10 to Yuma,” should produce a decent sum after shooting up $14 million in its first round, as word-of-mouth spreads among older-skewing moviegoers. “Yuma” also needs to load up on as much loot as possible before the September 21 arrival of “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” which stars Brad Pitt as the iconic gangster.
In limited release, Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg’s London-set mob thriller “Eastern Promises,” drawing rave early reviews, debuts on single screens in Los Angeles, New York and seven other U.S. markets as well as in Toronto and Vancouver.
Focus Features plans to expand the film to about 1,400 runs within a week.
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