On March 1st four films open nationwide and will attempt to dethrone Melissa McCarthy's film "Identity Thief."
The first film to open is "Jack and the Giant Slayer." The movie, directed by Bryan Singer and starring Nicolas Hoult, Ewan McGregor and Stanley Tucci, garnered mixed reviews with a 49 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. "Slayer" opens in 3,525 theaters and is poised to make $26 million over the three day weekend.
"21 and Over" also opens nationwide. The movie, starring Skylar Astin, Miles Teller and Justin Choin, tells the story of a promising student celebrating his 21st birthday with his two best friends. The film has scored bad reviews with a 28 percent aggregate score. Opening in 2,771 theaters, Relativity's college drama is expected to gross $14.7 million.
The third film is "The Last Exorcism Part 2." CBS's horror film will attempt to relive the success of the first installment which made a surprising $41 million. The film was not screened for critics but the studio is projecting a $12.5 million gross for its first three days.
The last film to open is "Phantom" starring Ed Harris and David Duchovny. The movie received negative reviews and very little marketing. With barely any awareness, "Phantom" may have a hard time cracking the top 10.
In art house cinemas, "Stoker" opens in seven theaters. Starring Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska, and Matthew Goode, "Stoker" received mixed reviews. Tribeca films also releases the Oscar nominated foreign film "War Witch." The film about a 14-year-old girl telling her unborn child the story of her life at war also opens on ITunes and Video-On-Demand.
After its Oscar win "Argo" will expand to 985 theaters. The movie has made $130 million to date. "Life of Pi" and "Django Unchained" also expand while the Weinstein Company's "Quartet" opens in 725 theaters.