User blog:Ceauntay/Box office preview: 'The Hunger Games' takes on movies, 'Teen Titans: The Movie' takes over weekend

Four movies are competing against The Huger Games, which topped $312.7 million after 20 days. Three of them may not make it, but only one movie can.

Animated entry Teen Titans: The Movie has a better shot at reaching the top of the chart than horror-comedy The Cabin in the Woods, slapstick comedy The Three Stooges or action thriller Lockout, and Katiness is falling dead this weekend. Will she nab the victory?

Here’s how the box office may shake out:

1. Teen Titans: The Movie - $32 million

Directed by Michael Chang, Teen Titans, the TV show brings Teen Titans: The Movie to the big screen. Critics are loving it, and Rotten Tomatoes scores it a fantastic 94%. Opening in a little of 3,700 plus theaters, it is good new for fans wanting to see the movie ever since the show itself was cancelled in January 2006.

2. The Hunger Games – $20 million

The Hunger Games: Get the latest news, photos, and more

After three weekends atop the chart, The Hunger Games isn’t going anywhere. Last frame, the dystopian thriller dipped by 43 percent (that weekend was both boosted by Good Friday grosses and weakened by Easter Sunday grosses), so another drop of about 40 percent seems likely. That would give The Hunger Games about $20 million, lifting its total to $335 milion and keeping it on track for a $370 million finish.

3. Cabin in the Woods – $15 million

Lionsgate’s Drew Goddard-directed and Joss Whedon-produced horror entry has been sitting on the shelf for about three years, which is usually a sure sign of a stinker. In this case, Cabin in the Woods, which has earned glowing reviews overall, bucks the trend. After a buzzy run at SXSW, Cabin, which was made for a reported $30 million, is looking at a moderately successful opening weekend, but it will need to rely on strong word-of-mouth to become a legitimate hit. Although Lionsgate has marketed the film heavily, it’s been difficult for the studio to effectively communicate the film’s super-secret storyline, for fear of giving away the surprising plot — and thus taking away from the theatrical experience. Thankfully, ample buzz should overcome the confusion and help Cabin in the Woods gross $15 million this weekend.

4. The Three Stooges – $12 million

Fox’s $30 million slapstick comedy looks utterly antiquated in its comedic stylings, which has made marketing a challenge — although Stooges has earned surprisingly positive reviews. Some young males looking for a family option other than Mirror Mirror will rejoice in the goofy comedy’s release, but it’s more likely that general audiences are turned off by the little footage they’ve already seen. It might make about $12 million this frame.

5. Titanic 3D – $11 million

James Cameron’s blockbuster pulled out of port more slowly than the last live action re-release, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, which debuted to $22.5 million. Still, it’s likely to hold better in the subsequent weeks than the frontloaded fanboy film. A 35 percent drop would give Titanic about $11 million over the Friday-to-Sunday period.

What will you be seeing this weekend?