Weekend Box Office Predictions Game: Aliens, Mars, and a Big Bad Wolf

March 10, 2011

I'm running a day behind with our Weekend Box Office Prophet Game so consider this a lightning round. This weekend, Aaron Eckhart and Michelle Rodriguez will lead Battle: Los Angeles, Amanda Seyfried is Red Hiding Hood, and oddly enough Mars Needs Moms. These three new films will go up against holdovers Rango and The Adjustment Bureau for box office supremacy.

In our Weekend Box Office Prophet Game you'll decide what each of these films will make at the North American box office from Friday, March 11 through Sunday, March 13. Your score will then be averaged in with everyone else to go up against the Prophet's predictions. If the Prophet loses 3 or more of the films like he did last weekend (see the results) then the top player takes home the Blu-ray prize pot. Last week that player was Leon. This week's new prize is Jackass 3 on Blu-ray.

If the Prophet wins then the prize will roll into next week and the top player finisher scores a consolation DVD prize. Either way someone wins something every round.

The average player scores will update in real time below as new player predictions are entered. This round's entry period will close tonight at 8pm PST Thursday, March 10. Buckle down and get playing!

There are currently 57 players up against the Prophet

The entry period for March 11 - 13 has already ended. Follow the weekly results at the Weekend Box Office Prophet main page.

Battle: Los Angeles
Aliens invade in this adrenaline fueled war movie that promises a lot of bang for the buck. Where Battle:LA will struggle is in attracting females as the first reviews paint a testosterone charged affair akin to playing a video game without the ability to control the on-screen action. It will definitely top Skyline's $11.7 million opening but don't go overboard. Opens on a robust 3,300 screens.

All: $25.0 Me: n/a Prophet: $31.4 Actual: $35.6

Mars Needs Moms 3D
Disney and Buena Vista are coming off a strong showing with Gnomeo & Juliet and should dominate the family market this weekend with Mars Needs Moms. The animated film has no competition other than Gnomeo & Juliet which has already been out a month. This weekend also marks the beginning of spring break for many kids. Opens on over 3,000 screens.

All: $20.2 Me: n/a Prophet: $14.8 Actual: $6.9

Red Riding Hood
Amanda Seyfried and Gary Oldman lead this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood with a horror twist that is being played up in the advertisements. Twilight's Catherine Hardwicke is behind the camera and Warner wisely directed her to shoot a PG-13 film. The 2,900 screens are the lowest of the three openers which almost guarantees it won't place higher than third.

All: $16.1 Me: n/a Prophet: $14.6 Actual: $14.0

Rango
By now the cat is out of the bag that Rango isn't necessarily a kid's film just because it's animated. If anything it's playing better to adults who can pick up on and understand the western genre-rich jokes. After a $38.1 million opening, it could be a steep decline for Rango given the new competition this weekend.

All: $19.5 Me: n/a Prophet: $21.3 Actual: $22.6

The Adjustment Bureau
Universal must be ecstatic with how well Matt Damon in The Adjustment Bureau is playing. After a $21.2 million opening weekend it's been running about 75% of Rango's ticket sales this past week. Not too shabby for a thriller that's not a sequel or built around some existing brand.

All: $13.5 Me: n/a Prophet: $13.1 Actual: $11.6