While some audiences are hoping to check out some of the awards favorites that are finally going wide this month, anyone looking for a movie that doesn’t require much thought might want to check out Taken 3. Liam Neeson is back to fight for his family and doesn’t have much new competition in the way.
Taken 3 got off to a good start at early screenings Thursday night, bringing in $1.6 million. As the Hollywood Reporter points out, that’s actually a bit higher than Taken 2, which made $1.5 million in early Thursday screenings in 2012.
The film was produced by EuropaCorp, which was also behind the other Taken films, and released in the U.S. by Fox. It cost $48 million to produce.
Box Office Mojo predicts that the film should easily pass the $30 million opening mark. This will be enough to finally knock The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies off the top after three weeks at No. 1.
The wild cards this weekend are the awards favorites, starting off with Ava DuVernay’s Selma, which centers on Martin Luther King Jr. It has earned rave reviews across the board and will be screened at over 2,000 locations. It should make north of $15 million.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice isn’t expected to do that well with awards, but the director’s fans who don’t live in New York and LA will turn out to see his latest effort. The film expands to 645 locations, but it would be surprising if it makes over $3 million.
The Hobbit, Into The Woods and Unbroken will likely stick around in the Top 5.
You can check out other movies opening this weekend at Trailer Park.
image courtesy of Famous/ACE/INFphoto.com