Vampire film takes on what should be slow movie weekend
A slow box office is likely to get still slower over the weekend, despite three new films trying their hand at wide releases (but to low expectations).
After a surprising $21.1M opening last weekend, anime film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (NYSE:SONY) is expected to decline considerably - but even with a slip into single digits, it could still end up repeating on top of the list.
The best of the new crop likely to challenge it may be The Invitation (SONY), a gothic vampire horror inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula. The new film is getting the widest release among the debuts, bowing in 3,000 locations.
But even with what looks like a big list, the leader is projected to come away with the worst "winning" opening in over a year. At least Sony (SONY) may come out relatively happy with the weekend, distributing both Dragon Ball Super and The Invitation.
Another debut comes from MGM/United Artists, newly part of Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN). Three Thousand Years of Longing (AMZN) comes from Mad Max director George Miller, starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba, about a scholar who meets a djinn.
And the smallest release comes from Bleecker Street's Breaking, starring John Boyega as a Marine Corps veteran who robs a bank, looking for modest receipts.
Getting ready for a weak weekend are movie exhibitor stocks: AMC Entertainment (AMC); Cineworld (OTCPK:CNNWF); Cinemark (CNK); (IMAX); Marcus (MCS); Reading International (RDI); Cineplex (CGX:CA); National CineMedia (NCMI).