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SALT LAKE CITY -- The results from last weekend's box office proved to be remarkably close to the predictions. "The Grey" took first place as anticipated.
In second was "Underworld Awakening," which took a step down from first place the week prior.
The predictions made for third and fifth place were transposed in the actual box-office results. Bolstered by the success of the book of the same title, "One for the Money" wound up in third, followed by "Red Tails" in fourth as guessed. Rounding off the top five was "Man on a Ledge."
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This weekend will be a bit condensed in terms of full box-office participation. Sunday features one of the biggest television-watching events of the entire year, the Super Bowl. This will render a radically different demographic patronizing theaters the day of the big game.
Moviegoers will see several new releases this weekend. First is "Chronicle," a small-budget found-footage film after the likes of "Cloverfield" and "Apollo 18." Next up is "The Woman in Black," with this horror flick marking Daniel Radcliffe's first appearance on the big screen since the "Harry Potter" franchise.
The last of the mainstream releases is "Big Miracle," based on the true story of a trapped family of gray whales in Alaska.
The box-office predictions for Super Bowl weekend are as follows:
1. "Chronicle"
Despite the fact that this sci-fi thriller contains no big-name actors and a relatively weak budget, it is poised to sweep the weekend. With a PG-13 rating, "Chronicle" will open to generally favorable reviews and large audiences. "Chronicle" builds off a genre that has seen significant successes in its recent found-footage offerings.
2. "The Woman in Black"
A horror thriller, "Woman" surprisingly only garnered a PG-13 rating. "Woman" is likely to use the star power of Daniel Radcliffe to draw in audiences. A majority of that group will be those who matured through the "Harry Potter" series and have followed Radcliffe as he himself has aged into more mature roles.
3. "The Grey"
With a strong opening in first, "Grey" is anticipated to fall to third based on the power of the new releases. This R-rated thriller is one of two films on the top-five list this weekend to have an Alaskan setting.
4. "One for the Money"
"Money" made a strong showing last weekend. Likely to push "Underworld Awakening" off the radar this weekend, "Money" should manage to stay on the list one more week.
5. "Big Miracle"
"Miracle" is going to have a tough time fending for itself and will be lucky to grab a spot at all. One struggle it is going to face is a result of its placement in a limited number of theaters compared with the other contenders. The biggest day for "Miracle" will likely be Sunday during the big game. Given its family friendly fare, "Miracle" will be a prime target for those in the family who are not sports fanatics.
Joseph Irvine is a self-employed computer engineer in Madison, Alabama. A graduate of Utah State University, he hopes to pursue a degree in law at BYU in the near future.
