Will the Apes rise up and claim box office victory one last time, or will they finally be defeated by Conan the Barbarian, a bunch of Spy Kids or a vampire played by Colin Farrell? Yup, you know what time it is – time to predict which film will win this weekend’s box office. First, though, let’s take a closer look at the competition …
What’s the Scoop: Jason Momoa stars in this remake of the iconic Arnold Schwarzenegger movie about a barbarian named Conan and his adventures across the continent of Hyboria as he sets off on a bloody, R-rated quest to avenge his father’s death … and slice off some heads at the same time.
Why It Might Win the Weekend: It’s late August and almost time to go back to school, so who isn’t in the mood to watch a shirtless, muscle-bound barbarian slaughter baddies on the big screen?
What’s the Scoop: Did someone say remake? Yup, Conan the Barbarian isn’t the only film getting the remake treatment this weekend as the old neighborhood vampire teen flick Fright Night returns with Colin Farrell playing the vampire and a bunch of familiar young folks (lead by Anton Yelchin and Christopher Mintz-Plasse) playing the concerned teenagers out to destroy the evil that’s moved into their neighborhood.
Why It Might Win the Weekend: Well, it does have teenagers and vampires, which seem to be the right ingredients if you want a successful genre pic these days. Unfortunately none of them are played by Robert Pattinson, and the R rating may hurt the situation, so we’ll see.
What’s the Scoop: Robert Rodriguez returns to his Spy Kids franchise for a fourth go-round, but this time he’s focusing on a new family headed up by Jessica Alba, who plays a retired spy called back into action. Joel McHale and Jeremy Piven also star.
Why It Might Win the Weekend: Spy Kids 4 is the first film this summer to be shown in 4D (thanks to the film’s Aroma-Scope, scratch-and-sniff feature), and so that – plus the 3D and the popularity of the franchise – may help it rise above all these barbarians and vampires.
My Prediction: It’s hard to bet against Spy Kids 4, especially since the other two new releases are R-rated. There’s a chance Rise of the Planet of the Apes could pull off another upset, but I’m chalking this one up to the kids’ flick.
My Pick of the Week: If you can find it, go with the limited release Griff the Invisible. We’re fond of True Blood star Ryan Kwanten here at Fandango headquarters, and we’d never pass up the chance to watch him play an office worker who masquerades as a lonely superhero at night.
Now it’s your turn. Sound off below on which film you think will win the weekend box office.
