It’s that time of the week again friends – time to take a look at all the films in theaters this weekend and pick which one you think has enough guts, courage (and 3D?) to come out on top of the box office when Monday morning rolls around. This weekend will give us a battle between two very good films, but who will ultimately rise to the top: Tom Hardy or a deadly virus? Let’s take a closer look …
What’s The Scoop: Steven Soderbergh returns to screens with this thriller that plays out more like a horror movie as several big-time stars (Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne) all navigate their way around a deadly epidemic that spreads like wildfire around the world.
Why It Might Win the Weekend: Star power alone should help it do well in theaters, and it’s certainly strong enough to deserve your hard-earned dollars. Just bring hand sanitizer with you for afterwards, and don’t sit near anyone who has a cold.
What’s the Scoop: Tom Hardy stars as the son of a former boxer-turned-alcoholic who returns home to be trained by his father for a mixed martial arts tournament.
Why It Might Win the Weekend: There’s some badass fighting and plenty of screen time full of men (like Hardy) without their shirts on. Plus it’s really good. Men and women should flock to theaters.
What’s the Scoop: A comedy from Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison crew about an idiotic kid from the Midwest (Nick Swardson) who travels to Hollywood to become a porn star.
Why It Might Win the Weekend: Hey, everyone loves a good movie about the world’s ugliest porn star, right? Right?
My Prediction: Okay, deep breath … The Help has screwed me three weekends in a row, but this time I feel fairly confident that it will be defeated … I think. Let’s go with Contagion. Why not?
My Pick of the Week: Honestly, you can’t go wrong with both Contagion and Warrior – they’re two solid movies. Just depends on what you’re in the mood for, really: A rough-and-tough (but uplifting and heartwarming) fighting movie, or an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a widespread disease.
Now it’s your turn – sound off below and let us know which film you think will win the box office this weekend …
Erik is a leading movie commentator who has worked for outlets such as AOL Moviefone and Movies.com.
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