WORD HAS IT that “Hunger Games” is already outpacing the original “Twilight” in advance ticket sales – all of which could spell trouble for those new releases unfortunate enough to take on “Hunger” in its second week. The most formidable of those competitors will be “Wrath of the Titans,” a sequel to the 2010 “Clash of the Titans” starring Sam Worthington. It’s more of the same, of course – Liam Neeson as Zeus, lots of monsters, lots of 3D effects. That said, this time the creators have positioned it more as a “300” comic-book fantasy (with hard rock soundtrack), as opposed to a remake of the campy ‘80s classic. “Wrath” has a chance with its appeal to men, but “Mirror, Mirror”? Not so much. This live-action take on the Snow White legend will capture young girls not allowed to watch “Games” – but let’s face it, anyone old enough to clear the PG-13 rating will choose “Games” (and plenty of those who don’t will be sneaking across the Cineplex to sneak in). Lastly, although “Mirror” has a Disney feel to it, it’s actually put out by Relativity, who might be simply overmatched in the buzz and marketing department this time. $30 million for “Wrath,” low teens (at best) for a cursed “Mirror.”
Huge potential for a box office bomb. The marketing is almost non-existent, tracking is incredibly low, and whatever excitement for this movie is smothered by the marketing of "The Hunger Games".
However, I'm gambling on this movie to do around $16M for several reasons. Snow White is an extremely familiar story, and somehow, fairy tale adaptations most often do fairly well against studio estimates. Second, it has a big star in it in Julia Roberts. Last, it has a Disney feel to it that is in itself a draw to the younger audiences.
joined Dec. 28, 2011