Talladega Nights (Columbia) is going to grab about $35 million this weekend…maybe more. One tracking report says general awareness is 89, definite interest is 47 (that’s big) and first choice among all pictures in release is 24 — one person out of four. And this is from an urban sample. It goes without saying it’s gonna kill ’em in the boonies — a movie like this is red meat for the red states.
Meaning it’s going to more than double the Miami Vice tally, which will probably come in around $13 or $14 million.
World Trade Center Paramount, 8.9) looks like it’ll have a pretty decent five-day opening tally (it preems on Wednesday, 8.9). It has an 85% general, 35% definite interest, 12% no interest and 10% first choice from one tracking report. It could do reasonably well — $25, $26 million. It doesn’t seem to be courting the negatives that United 93 had. (The negatives for that film were in the low teens just prior to opening.) Being on the cover of Newsweek undoubtedly helped to some extent.
Snakes on a Plane opens two weeks from tomorrow and it’s not looking like gangbusters. There seems to be a significant group that’s not getting the joke and doesn’t want to get the joke, and who just want their horror films served straight without the silly-cheesy stuff.