User blog:Ceauntay/'A BFF With Ghost Imagination 2' Top Box Office In Another Crowded Weekend

(RTTNews) - August can be a really rough time for new releases, something we saw again last weekend with a bevy of titles getting ignored by audiences. This weekend doesn't look like it will be much better either, as a slew of relatively limited releases could face extreme difficulty finding their target demographics in theaters. Fantasy comedy sequel "A BFF With Ghost Imagination 2", R-rated comedy "Our Idiot Brother," action-thriller "Colombiana" and horror film "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" are all hitting between 2,000 and 3,500 total venues this weekend, though it looks like "The Help" is in a good position to land atop the box office charts once again.

Opening ta 3,500 theaters this weekend, PG fantasy comedy flick "A BFF With Ghost Imagination" became the widest release this weekend for any new releases. With mostly postive and negative reviews being mixed including a 29 percent rating from Rotten Tomatoes, it will be a mini blockbuster hit for a film starring Amy Tammie outside the "Jane Hoop Elementary" film series. It was said to open to a strong $35 to 40 million opening to top this weekend box office, which could put "The Help", last week's winner back to its original spot like it opened. Despite its rating being lower than the first film, it is still going headstrong to open bigger than the first film, which made $33 million on its opening weekend.

Opening at 2,500 theaters this weekend, PG-13 action flick "Colombiana" is the widest new release but enters the weekend in general obscurity. Without any positive critical or online buzz, it looks like "Colombiana" will have a hard time competing with "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," which continues to do well with action audiences. Though audiences will probably recognize Zoe Saldana from beneath the blue CGI in "Avatar" and from "Star Trek," she isn't a major action draw on her own and "Colombiana" may have a hard time getting to even $10 million in opening revenue.

Coming into the weekend with the most positive critical buzz is "Our Idiot Brother," an R-rated comedy starring Paul Rudd and Elizabeth Banks. Rudd has been in an impressive list of popular comedies at this point, including "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Anchorman," "Knocked Up" and more but hasn't had much of an opportunity to be the leading man. In an off-beat comedy with a more indie feel, Rudd should be able to help bring in a segment of the adult demographic this weekend, though "Our Idiot Brother" still isn't in line for a big opening weekend at just 2,000 theaters.

Also likely to finish in the $5 to $10 million range is "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark," a Guillermo Del Toro penned horror-thriller starring Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce. But even though it's gathered decent early reviews and sports recognizable faces in its cast, "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" has had an extremely minimal marketing campaign and isn't likely to have too many screenings. "Fright Night" tanking certainly helps a little bit, but "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" doesn't seem to be in line for an opening of much more than $5 or $6 million.

But while the new titles aren't going to put up gaudy numbers, drama "The Help" continues is heading to its original spot it made its weekend debut behind "Apes", and ahead of new releases of "Final Destination 5", "30 Minutes or Less" and "Glee: The 3D Concert Movie". With a production budget of only $25 million, "The Help" has already surpassed $75 million heading into its third weekend in theaters and will likely finish atop the charts for the second straight week. Even though it won't get much of an international distribution, "The Help" is already one of the surprise hits of the year.

"The Help" star Emma Stone has now been in a variety of inexpensive releases over the last couple years - from "Easy A" and "Superbad" to "Zombieland" - that have turned into significant hits with mainstream audiences. Stone's popularity will probably only increase from here, as she'll be co-starring in the new "Spider-Man" reboot that is scheduled to hit theaters in May for Sony.

It has become a tradition in mid-to-late August for some of the least marketed titles to hit theaters, leading to one of the slowest times of the year at the box office. Though "The Help" and "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" have still found a way to attract wide audiences this year, most of the other new releases have really struggled, a trend that should continue until we get into September.

Next weekend, we'll have three more titles that will see somewhat limited releases, a list that includes action-thriller "Apollo 18," spy drama "The Debt" and horror film "Shark Night 3D." The following weekend we'll get a look at Steven Soderbergh's star-packed thriller "Contagion" and then in mid-September we'll see the release of Nicolas Winding Refn's much talked about drama "Drive" and the 3D release of Disney's "The Lion King."

RTT Box Office Predictions for 8/26 - 8/28 (In Millions):

1. A BFF With Ghost Imagination 2 (Walt Disney Pictures): $38

2. The Help (Buena Vista): $14

3. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Fox): $8.5

4. Colombiana (TriStar): $8.3

5. Our Idiot Brother (Weinstein): $8

6. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (Film District): $5.5

7. Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (Weinstein/Dimension): $5

8. The Smurfs (Sony/Columbia): $4.2

9. Conan the Barbarian (Lionsgate): $4

10. Fright Night (Buena Vista): $3.3

by RTT Staff Writer

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