Weekend Box Office (February 27 - March 1, 2015)


by Gitesh Pandya

THIS WEEKEND Will Smith is back and he hardly seems like the box office titan he once was. Missing from multiplexes for nearly two years, the popular star headlines the con-man romance Focus which sees him in a rare R-rated vehicle. Overall excitement is lacking but with the current marketplace, the Warner Bros. release should have what it takes to hit number one - only his second over the past six years. An IMAX release shows some studio confidence.

Reviews have been mixed and that may affect adult audiences. Smith's true fans should come out in decent numbers but it will be a tough sell to go broader. The rest of the cast, plus directors, add nothing to the commercial pull so this is all on Big Willie's shoulders to make or break. Other films are fading away and will barely be able to break $10M this weekend so frequent moviegoers should shift their focus to this one. Focus opens in over 3,200 locations and may collect about $20M this weekend.

Horror fans get an offering this weekend as Relativity unleashes the supernatural thriller The Lazarus Effect. Buzz is not strong for the PG-13 title which has been promoting itself aggressively as being from the producer of the Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and Purge franchises. That might help drive in some traffic. Reviews have been lackluster, though those often do not matter so much. A good trailer matters more and Lazarus has a creepy one. Attacking 2,666 theaters, The Lazarus Effect might scare up about $10M this weekend.

The two-week domination of Fifty Shades of Grey will come to an end thanks to a menu of new choices. Look for the Universal hit to fall by 55% to about $10M for a new cume of $146M. Fox's Kingsman: The Secret Service may slide by 40% to around $11M for a new total of $85M on its way to the century club.

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Watch the trailer for Furious 7.


LAST YEAR Two new releases shoved aside the holdovers with openings of over $25M each. Liam Neeson took the number one spot with the action thriller Non-Stop which bowed to $28.9M for Universal heading to a $92.2M final. Fox's Son of God ranked as one of many faith-based hits last year opening to $25.6M on its way to $59.7M. Rounding out the top five were The LEGO Movie with $20.8M, 3 Days to Kill with $5M and The Monuments Men with $4.9M.


LAST WEEKEND's TOP 20


Last Updated: February 26, 2015 at 4:45PM ET


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