Weekend Forecast: 'Noah' & 'Sabotage'

Featured Stories - on March 26, 2014 by BoxOffice Staff

longrange2114.pngThis weekend, Noah and Sabotage opened as March comes to a close.

Meanwhile, Bad Word and God's Not Dead see significant expansions, while Cesar Chavez also opens in limited release.

Noah

PROS:

- Darren Aronofsky's directorial star has risen since his success with Black Swan.
- The Biblical tale should appeal well to religious audiences. 
- The film's recognizable cast, led by Russell Crowe, increases its mainstream potential.
- Twitter and Flixster buzz are healthy.

CONS:

- Aronofsky himself won't be much of a draw.
- The controversy preceding the film's production could hinder demand just as easily as it could boost audience curiosity.
- Crowe hasn't driven a major box office success in years.
- Facebook activity leaves something to be desired, trailing Son of God at the same point.

Sabotage

PROS:

- Director David Ayer has found a successful niche through films like End of Watch.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger still has some fans out there who turned out for his supporting role in the Expendables movies.

CONS:

- Schwarzenegger's star power as a leading man isn't what it used to be. See the poor performances of The Last Stand and Escape Plan.
- Online buzz is quite modest.

Bad Words

PROS:

- Jason Bateman has been a part of many successful comedies in recent years. His dedicated fans should show up for his directorial debut.
- Early response to the film has been fairly positive. 

CONS:

- The weak marketing campaign has hindered widespread awareness.
- The estimated 600-theater location count will further prevent a breakout performance. 

Check out our complete weekend forecast in the table below.

Title Release Date Distributor Opening Weekend Domestic Total through Sunday, March 30
Noah Mar 28, 2014 Paramount
 $41,000,000 $41,000,000
Divergent Mar 21, 2014 Lionsgate / Summit
 $22,500,000 $90,800,000
Muppets Most Wanted Mar 21, 2014 Disney
 $10,000,000 $31,700,000
The Grand Budapest Hotel Mar 7, 2014 Fox Searchlight
 $9,500,000 $25,200,000
Mr. Peabody & Sherman Mar 7, 2014 Fox / DreamWorks Animation
 $8,500,000 $93,800,000
God's Not Dead Mar 21, 2014 Freestyle / Pure Flix
 $7,300,000 $20,000,000
Sabotage (2014) Mar 28, 2014 Open Road
 $7,000,000 $7,000,000
Cesar Chavez Mar 28, 2014 Lionsgate / Pantelion
 $5,700,000 $5,700,000
Bad Words Mar 14, 2014 Focus
 $4,500,000 $5,400,000
Need For Speed Mar 14, 2014 Disney / DreamWorks
 $4,000,000 $37,400,000
300: Rise of an Empire Mar 7, 2014 Warner Bros.
 $3,900,000 $100,800,000
Non-Stop (2014) Feb 28, 2014 Universal
 $3,700,000 $84,800,000

Phil Contrino, Daniel Garris, Alex Edghill, and Shawn Robbins contributed to this report. 

Tags: Cesar Chavez, predictions, Noah, Sabotage, Bad Words

4 Comments

What do you think?