No studio is quite in the same boat as Sony, which could use a big hit. The studio is hoping that the animated sequel Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 will be just what it needs. It is the first new family film since Disney’s Planes and its only major competition are adult dramas.
The first Cloudy movie, released back in 2009, grossed $30.3 million when it opened and went on to make $124.9 million. Box Office Mojo notes that Sony has been successful with its marketing campaign, making sure that people know their favorite characters from the first film are back, while highlighting the differences in the new film. The studio is also hoping that it attracts older audiences as well, which was a major key for the first Cloudy
Cloudy 2 is doing well on Fandango so far and Box Office Mojo is predicting an opening north of $40 million. Sony Pictures Animation’s last release, Hotel Transylvania, came out around this time last year and opened to a whopping $42.5 million, setting a September record.
Ron Howard is back in theaters with Rush, which stars Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl. According to Entertainment Weekly, the film opened in just five locations last weekend, grossing $187,000. The car racing drama is taking a big leap this weekend, expanding to 2,297 theaters. It is earning great reviews and Hemsworth should be a major draw. Look for it to be in a close battle with last weekend’s winner, Prisoners for second place. Both films should gross above $11 million.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Don Jon is a bit of a wild card, opening at 2,422 theaters. While it has earned good reviews and also stars Scarlett Johansson, it might not click with a wide audience. It’s a film about a man addicted to porn and is also a satire on media. Relativity Media only spent $6 million on it, so if it makes over $10 million, it’s still a win.
Romantic comedy Baggage Claim, starring Paula Patton, is also hitting theaters this weekend. It’s gotten rotten reviews, so it’ll be lucky to get over $7 million.
You can check out our trailer gallery of other new movies opening this weekend in Trailer Park.
image: Sony