There probably won’t be another weekend this summer, aside from when Harry Potter hits screens for the last time two weeks from now (yes, two weeks!), when the weekend box office winner will be so easy to pick. Michael Bay’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which opened with select screenings Tuesday night, has grossed $63.4 million before the holiday weekend even started.
The Transformers franchise is such a juggernaut that studios purposefully stayed away from this weekend, with the one exception being the Tom Hanks-Julia Roberts romantic dramedy Larry Crowne. 20th Century Fox also offers up Monte Carlo, with Selena Gomez and Leighton Meester, for teen girls who don’t want to sit through a two-and-a-half hour robot action movie. Though it seems pretty obvious, let’s take a look at the new flicks arriving in theaters this weekend…
What’s The Scoop: Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, CGI explosions and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, all in 3D. Oh and somewhere in there is a story about Autobots learning of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the moon and blah, blah, blah, more explosions!
Why It Might Win The Weekend: Not might, but will. Its Tuesday-Thursday total already equals what Larry Crowne will probably end up grossing before it exits theaters and hits DVD shelves for Christmas.
What’s The Scoop: Tom Hanks loses his job, buys a scooter and goes back to college where he falls for his speech professor, Julia Roberts. The cast includes cameo appearances by Cedric the Entertainer, Tajari P. Henson, Wilmer Valderrama, Bryan Cranston, George Takei and Pam Grier.
Why It Might Win The Weekend: We’ve seen Tom Hanks carry a movie solely on his charisma and acting talent before, but let’s face it, even the venerable Mr. Hanks is no match for CGI robots.
What’s The Scoop: Selena Gomez, Katie Cassidy and Leighton Meester star as three women who travel to Paris on vacation and find themselves whisked away to Monte Carlo after one of the girls is mistaken for a British heiress. Cory Montheith and Luke Bracey play the roles of teen girl eye-candy in this romantic comedy produced by Nicole Kidman, among others.
Why It Might Win The Weekend: Never underestimate the spending power of teenage girls. While realistically speaking this movie doesn’t have a prayer against Transformers, it could give Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts a challenge for second place.
My Prediction: In a stunning upset, Larry Crowne amasses an slew of sold out shows while audiences still miffed by the last Transformers movie stay away from this latest Michael Bay-gasm and propel Tom Hanks to another box office win!.... Not.
My Pick of the Week: Transformers in 3D. It’s one of the rare 3D movies that’s actually worth the extra price of admission. But if you’re in the mood for something with a better story, less mainstream and with no 3D, then John C. Reilly’s Sundance hit Terri may be just for you. (Check out the trailer here)
Now it’s your turn to sound off and let us know which film you think will win the weekend…
