FRIDAY PM/SATURDAY AM: Great to finally be on vacation, and even better that it's a sloooow weekend at the box office while I'm gone:
1. Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D (Screen Gems/Sony) NEW [3,203 Theaters]
Friday $10.9M, Estimated Weekend $28M
The only major studio film opening is Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D, an easy #1 because it's shot in 3D, not converted, and it booked 2,000 3D screens among its 3,203 locations in North America, including 164 digital IMAX screens domestically for a 2-week run, and another 24 IMAX screens internationally. (Final Friday numbers could be higher or lower because of this franchise's notoriously great late shows...) The previous three pics have opened between $17.7M in March 2002 to a high of $23.6M in September 2007, so 3D's heftier ticket prices are responsible for this fourquel's biggest numbers. It's another in that "world ravaged by a virus infection, turning its victims into the Undead, Alice, continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety" franchise. This time, Los Angeles is filled with zombies, and Milla Jovovich again kicks their butt, and again the latest installment is written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, who also produces with Jeremy Bolt and others. Sony gave it a high-profile presence at all the major sci-fi, horror, and other genre conventions. Pic also is opening great internationally this week, beating RE3 in Japan, Russia, Mexico, Spain, UK and others after Sony acquired the rights to most foreign territories for $52m. Meanwhile, Sony is responsible for what should be half the weekend's estimated $80M box office grosses, and this is its 5th No. 1 opener this year.
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