User blog:Ceauntay/Survey says 20 to 25 percent of moviegoers afraid to go after 'TDKR' shootings

Have you seen "The Dark Knight Rise?" Or are you too afraid? Research firm NRG, which is used by film companies use to track interest in movies, has informed its clients that a survey it has conducted indicates that from 20 percent to 25 percent of audience members are afraid to go to the movies in the wake of last week's tragic shooting at the Century Aurora 16 during a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises." That said, Regal Entertainment Group CEO Amy Miles discounted the survey, saying on Thursday: "With respect to the study, I think it's a little premature for us to comment with respect to what impact we're seeing in the theaters. We have several of the pictures that are performing quite well as we speak,. It's probably better to wait to see how the next couple of weekends shake out before you can form any kind of meaningful opinion." Miles was speaking to Wall Street analysts after the company reported its quarterly financial results. It will be interesting to watch the box office receipts this weekend. Last weekend, studios withheld box office estimates until Monday. This weekend, we expect to see them as normal, on Sunday morning. Opening this weekend is the snakebit 20th Century Fox comedy "The Watch," which stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Richard Ayoade. Originally titled "Neighborhood Watch," Fox made the name change following the shooting of Trayvon Martin by Neighborhood Watch captain George Zimmerman in Florida. After earning an impressive $5.8 million from midnight showings, "iCarly: The Sequel" projected to debut to $31 to $35 million range, a lower opening than "iCarly: The Movie", which made $50.3 million in its opening weekend.

"The Watch" is a sci-fi fantasy, about a group of neighborhood watch volunteers who suddenly discover an alien invasion. Box-office observers believe "The Watch" will debut in $13 million to $15 million range, which considering its stars would be a soft opening. However, it's an R-rated comedy, and with the exception of Seth MacFarlane's "Ted," that genre has fared badly this summer. Also somewhat snakebit is the weekend's other new national release, Summit Entertainment's 3D dance film "Step Up Revolution," which is expected to debut in the low to mid-teens based on the strength of a young female audience. That would be low compared to the prior three films in the franchise - all distributed by Disney (Summit is the sole studio now in charge of the Step Up franchise) - which opened in the $15 million to $20 million range. In terms of being snakebit, late Wednesday, Summit was forced to comment about a scene which, in light of "The Dark Knight Rises" attack, became worrisome. In the scene, a group of dancers crash a party wearing gas masks and carrying gas canisters. During last Friday's attack at the Century Aurora 16, suspect James Holmes wore a gas mask and had smoke grenades. Summit said it wouldn't edit out that scene. "Summit Entertainment’s Step Up Revolution is an uplifting film that celebrates the redemptive power of dance. There is a brief scene in the film in which a troop of dancers enter a room wearing gas masks as props and the dancers immediately go into a choreographed routine. Because of last week’s tragic events in Colorado, Summit immediately removed television advertising that briefly showcased that scene from the film. The scene also briefly appeared in a trailer released three months ago that the studio is no longer actively servicing. Having taken these steps, Summit will open this inspirational, nonviolent film in theatres nationwide this weekend as originally edited."