“Thor” set to fend off “Bridesmaids” at box office
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) ñ “Thor” will log a second weekend atop the North American box office, while the high-octane hit “Fast Five” will battle the raunchy new release “Bridesmaids” for the No. 2 slot.
“Bridesmaids” — conjuring up plenty of comparisons to “The Hangover” — stars Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne and winsome “Office” receptionist Ellie Kemper.
Universal is suggesting that the R-rated comedy will gross in the low-teen millions during its first three days, although many box office observers believe it will clear $15 million and even do as much as $17 million.
Financially, Universal is in good shape with “Bridesmaids,” since the comedy’s net budget was $32.5 million (Relativity Media co-financed the comedy with Universal).
Hoping to turn Bridesmaids into a rare event comedy for women, Universal has heavily promoted Judd Apatow’s involvement as a producer and “Saturday Night Live” veteran Wiig as a major comedic voice. Paul Feig directed. The studio has aggressively screened the film, hosting more than 350 showings in the weeks leading to the film’s debut Friday.
“Thor,” with sales of $81 million through Wednesday, is sure to jump the $100 million mark domestically this weekend. It opened to a solid $66 million last weekend. Overseas, the superhero film has already cleared $200 million. “Fast Five” has earned $147 million to date in North America, including $32 million last weekend.
The other new entry at the domestic box office this weekend is Sony’s “Priest,” starring Paul Bettany. The $60 million film is based on the popular Korean graphic novel series by Min-Woo Hyung.
“Priest” is projected to open to $10 million to $12 million, with Sony already looking at the international box office to drive the supernatural actioner. Last weekend, “Priest” saw good numbers in Russia and Spain.
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