Spartans, prepare for victory—"300: Rise of an Empire" is set to lead the box office this weekend beating out the other newcomer "Mr. Peabody and Sherman."
The sequel to the successful film "300" is looking to debut north of $40 million with some predicting $45 million. However, that total is short of the record-breaking $70.9 million the first film made on the same weekend in 2007. The total is still strong, but with Zack Snyder not directing the movie, many fans of the original have been dissuaded from seeing the film. Additionally the film received negative reviews. "It's bound to hit some viewers as an empty exercise in stylish gore, but thanks to a gonzo starring performance from Eva Green, '300: Rise of an Empire' is bloody good," reads the general critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes.
The new movie was co-financed by Warner Bros. and Legendary for $110 million and was directed by Noam Murro. The film stars Sullivan Stapleton, Rodrigo Santoro and Eva Green. (To read exclusive exclusive interview with Santoro Click Here)
The new animated film "Mr. Peabody and Sherman" is expected to land in second place. The new movie directed by Rob Minkoff received good reviews and currently has 75 percent aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Dreamworks animated film is expected to open north of $30 million. The time-travel adventure film will face competition from the family blockbuster "The Lego Movie" and "Frozen," which recently won the Best Animated Feature film.
In their second weekend "Non-Stop" and "Son of God" are expected to drop 40 percent. The Liam Neeson action thriller has already made $35 million and is expected to make $16 million while the film based on the life of Jesus, which has already garnered $30 million, is expected to take in $13 million.
"The Lego Movie" will also continue its success story bringing in another $13 million. The movie has already made $212.9 million and could end with $230 million by the end of the weekend.
The weekend will also see the Best Picture winner "12 Years a Slave" expand into 1,000 theaters. Fox Searchlight hopes to boost word of mouth after having won the Academy Award. The film, which debuted on DVD and VOD earlier this week, has already earned $50.8 million in North America, nearly $90 million overseas, and could make another estimated $1 to $2 million.
Several other Oscar winners will expand into a number of theaters. "Gravity" will expand to 384 theaters while "Dallas Buyers Club" will open in 312 theaters. Both films are already on DVD.
Fox Searchlight will release Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles this weekend. The film is tracking on par with his 2012 hit "Moonrise Kingdom," which opened with $522,000 in four theaters. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is expected to expand in the coming weeks.
A number of films will also open in platform releases. "The Face of Love" starring Annette Benning and Ed Harris will open in two theaters and on VOD.
Meanwhile, Adopt Films will release "Bethlehem" while Magnolia will open "Grand Piano" in theaters and VOD.