There should be something for everyone this weekend at the multiplex as a new family animated film, a male-targeted comedy and a female-targeted drama from director Tyler Perry all have big expectations. If the movie industry gets its wish, it could be the biggest opening weekend in the month of November ever.
“Megamind,” “Due Date,” and “For Colored Girls” are all generating strong pre-release interest among their distinct audiences, giving some executives in Hollywood hope that total receipts could beat the previous record for the first weekend in November of $154 million, set in 2003 when “The Matrix Revolutions” and “Elf” debuted.
“Megamind,” the latest 3-D animated film from DreamWorks Animation, is almost certain to top the box office with expected ticket sales of about $50 million. That’s in the midrange for recent non-sequels from the Glendale-based animation studio. March’s “How to Train Your Dragon” opened to $43.7 million, while 2009’s “Monsters vs Aliens” took in $59.3 million on its first weekend.
With its super-villain-turned-hero storyline, “Megamind” is expected to appeal most to boys. DreamWorks and its distribution partner Paramount Pictures are hoping that the audience will extend beyond young boys to tweens and possibly even teenage boys too.
However, as with all of DreamWorks’ movies, the opening weekend in the U.S. won’t ultimately be as important as how the movie holds in coming weeks and how it performs overseas. The well-received “Dragon,” for instance, ultimately grossed $217.6 million, almost five times its opening weekend take. For “Megamind” to get to $200 million, however, it will have to survive the expected blockbuster debut of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” in two weeks, after which it might enjoy a good Thanksgiving weekend among families.