Image Credit: Universal Pictures
Jessica Chastain is having a banner week. On Sunday, the statuesque actress won a Golden Globe for her performance in Zero Dark Thirty, which simultaneously topped the box office with $24.4 million. Tomorrow, Chastain will attempt to replace herself at the top of the chart with the Guillermo Del Toro-produced horror flick Mama. And she’s done all this while still performing in Broadway’s The Heiress!
Mama isn’t the only new entry this weekend. The Mark Wahlberg/Russell Crowe thriller Broken City will face the Arnold Schwarznegger vehicle The Last Stand in a quest to win over male action fans. Oscar hopeful Silver Linings Playbook is also moving into wide expansion, giving many audiences their first opportunity to see the award-festooned dramedy.
Here’s how the box office may shake out over the four-day holiday weekend:
1. Mama – $21 million
As Texas Chainsaw 3D proved two weekends ago, horror movies play well in January, and Universal’s latest effort, Mama, which boasts a slim $15 million budget, should have no trouble scoring a solid opening weekend. Jessica Chastain’s increased awards season visibility should lift the film’s prospects, as will the cache of Del Toro’s producing credit. Of course, hordes of horror-loving teens, who don’t care much about awards prestige, will likely make up the most substantial part of the audience, and in 2,647 theaters, Mama could scare up just over $20 million in its first four days. READ FULL STORY »
