Welcome back to our lively little corner on Fandango, where we carve out some time each week to go over the new releases and debate which one has the best shot at winning the box office. Your options this weekend include an Oscar front-runner, a gangster flick and the funniest movie about a haunted house you've seen this year (or in the past 11 days). Let's take a closer look ...
What's the Scoop: Marlon Wayans co-wrote and stars in this comedy that parodies all the recent horror movies, from Paranormal Activity to The Last Exorcism.
Why It Might Win the Weekend: It's silly and juvenile, and it may be just what the doctor ordered for all those kids who just got over the flu.
What's the Scoop: Set in the '40s and '50s, the film chronicles the real-life story of gangster Mickey Cohen and the LAPD's quest to keep the East Coast Mafia out of Los Angeles.
Why It Might Win the Weekend: Try a cast that includes Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and Josh Brolin.
What's the Scoop: Kathryn Bigelow's follow-up to the Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker stars Jessica Chastain as a feisty and determined CIA officer who dedicates a decade of her life to tracking down Osama bin Laden.
Why It Might Win the Weekend: Following a tremendous amount of buzz and multiple award nominations, this will be the first time much of the country has a chance to see the movie, now that it's expanded nationwide.
My Prediction: Considering all of its awards hype, I think we may see Zero Dark Thirty win the weekend, even though it's technically been in theaters for almost a month now. Its expansion nationwide will no doubt intrigue the thousands who've heard about it, but haven't been able to see it yet.
My Pick of the Week: With that said, Zero Dark Thirty is also my recommendation this week. Yes, it does a fantastic job of covering one of the most important events in modern American history, but it's also a wicked edge-of-your-seat thriller that leaves you glued to the screen the entire time. Definitely worth seeing, aside from all the awards it's been winning.
Now it's your turn, folks. Tell us which movie(s) you're seeing this weekend, along with the film you think will come out on top of the box office come Monday morning.
Follow along on Twitter @ErikDavis and @Fandango.
