'Thor' Should Hold Off 'Bridesmaids' To Stay Atop Box Office

(RTTNews) - Even with some extra competition from action-horror release "Priest," "Thor" is in great position to end up the top box officedraw for the second consecutive weekend. Also looking to enter the top two or three should be R-rated comedy "Bridesmaids," a Judd Apatow production that should find a fairly nice audience this weekend. Meanwhile, "Priest" is the widest overall release of the weekend at an estimated 2,800 total venues, though it will likely struggle to compete with "Thor" and "Fast Five" for action-seeking audiences.

Though producer Judd Apatow has had a few box office underachievers in recent years, he still seems to frequently find material that can reach mainstream comedy audiences. "Bridesmaids" has largely been marketed as a female version of "The Hangover," which should go a long way in drawing both male and female moviegoers. Even if "Bridesmaids" doesn't open with nearly the same level of fanfare as "The Hangover" did in 2009, it still doesn't have much competition for audiences this weekend and should put up a decent overall opening.
Also helping "Bridesmaids" is very strong early buzz from critics, which could help sway a portion of its intended audience and also help set it up for a long box office run. "Bridesmaids" will have to compete somewhat with "Something Borrowed," though the Warner Brothers distribution isn't in a great position for a strong second weekend in theaters. Look for "Bridesmaids" to finish as the top new draw of the weekend, though it will likely finish below "Thor" and "Fast Five" on the weekend charts due to its so-so 2,700-theater release.


Even though "Thor" didn't post an enormous opening last weekend, a $65 opening for a new franchise is still fairly strong. "Thor" will probably get quite a few repeat audience members this weekend and positive buzz will likely encourage new ones to seek it out as well. "Fast Five" probably will limit the overall potential of "Thor" once again, though the God of Thunder should still be able to easily top the charts for a second straight time with a weekend haul in the neighborhood of $35 million.
Competing for the same demographic has been "Fast Five," the fifth entry in a franchise that has completely reinvented itself with the last two releases. "Fast Five" has already pushed past $140 million domestically before its third weekend, making it the top commercial release of 2011 thus far. "Fast Five" isn't only hitting with domestic audiences, though, as it's also been doing big strong business overseas, helping it rack up $333 million worldwide. Considering how lucrative the last two "Fast and Furious" releases have been, expect to see Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and company back for future installments in the near future.
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