Thursday, March 11, 2010

Alice could outpace Avatar in opening weekend

Through the looking glass and into the oh-so-lucrative third dimension. Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland, the year’s first big 3D release, which hits movie theatres could earn more in its first weekend than Avatar did. Pre-release tracking indicates the Disney film could ring up $75 million or more. Avatar opened to $77 million in mid-December on its way to becoming the biggest movie of all time.

Alice also bows this week in 41 foreign territories; Japan, Spain, China and several other countries will get Alice in future months. Burton’s biggest previous bow came with 2001’s Planet Of The Apes, which rang up $68.5 million en route to a $180 million domestic haul. The cast includes Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and 20-year-old Australian Mia Wasikowska as Alice. In a potential distraction this weekend, Sunday’s worldwide Oscar telecast might preoccupy some prospective moviegoers. But Alice would seem less vulnerable to the small-screen competition than more adult-oriented pictures. Those include reigning champ Shutter Island and the police thriller Brooklyn’s Finest, starring Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke and Wesley Snipes. A bow in the low-double-digit millions may be doable, but teen millions are unlikely. The Overture Films release appears to be tracking best among urban demographics. Also this session, Summit Entertainment will expand Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer by 103 theaters, bringing the Ewan McGregor mystery to 143 total venues. The well-reviewed British mystery totes $1.1 million so far.

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