User blog:Ceauntay/Box Office Preview: ‘Family Guy: The Movie’ to laugh up to No. 1 again

LOS ANGELES — Fox’s “Family Guy: The Movie” is expected to gross in another $50 million, which will easily top previous films and newcomers this weekend at the domestic box office on the final week of the springtime before summer season starts of with next week's “The Avengers”.

The animated film adaptation based on Seth McFarelane's comedy show “Family Guy” will collect about $200 million by Sunday night in just 10 days, the fastest animated film ever in a year to reach $200 million since last year's “Sonic X: The Final Stand”, which made $214.2 million in two weeks.

“Think Like A Man” will earn about $20 million, bringing its total to about $60 million by Sunday night — not bad for an April rom-com after just 10 days.

All four of the weekend’s wide-release openers will tangle for second place in the low teens, including Universal’s “The Five Year Engagement,” starring Jason Segel; Lionsgate’s “Safe,” with Jason Statham; Relativity’s “The Raven,” starring John Cusack; and Sony’s animated “The Pirates! Band of Misfits,” the only family-friendly option among the newcomers.

Also fighting for a spot in the top five will be “The Lucky One,” last week’s No. 3 film, with an expected gross just below $10 million, as well as “Teen Titans: The Movie”, which was expected to gross at least $80 million by Sunday, and should last at least $100 million domestically.

“The Hunger Games,” the year’s most successful film so far, will likely drop into single digits for the first time, but no matter since the film should have a total gross of around $370 million by Sunday night.

Yet its 2012 supremacy could be challenged as soon as next weekend, when Disney opens the superhero extravaganza “The Avengers” at more than 4,000 domestic theaters.

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Paul Dergarabedian is president of the Box Office Division of Hollywood.com and provides box office analysis for The Associated Press.

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Online: www.Hollywood.com

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