New Line’s “Weapons” and Disney’s “Freakier Friday” are set to face off at the box-office this weekend, and while initial projections suggested a gap with the Disney film on top – that gap has now closed.
Deadline reports that both films are tracking for a “too close to call win” for the top spot, with each film expected to earn over $30 million in their debut.
Superb critical reviews, effective trailers and high presales all indicate “Weapons” will overtake “28 Days Later” as the biggest horror film opening of the Summer. The trade indicates projections from some have it coming in closer to a $40 million debut.
“Weapons” has several advantages – it has all the IMAX screens and many PLFs, while interest tracking is big across all demographics, whereas “Freakier Friday” is skewing high among females only.
The Disney film’s reviews, while mostly good, aren’t anywhere near the height of “Weapons” and are slightly down on 2004’s “Freaky Friday”. On the flipside,0 it is expected to do big business with family audiences and teens.
Both films are expected to push Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” to third place.
