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There will be a "New Moon" rising as midnight "Twilight" madness is nearly upon us with "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" about to be unleashed on a very willing public. Teen girls, their moms and every female demographic in between will descend on movie theatres this weekend in what promises to be one of the best debuts of the year. With a solid marketing campaign and the crossover appeal to older women, this is one of the most anticipated films of the holiday movie season and should become a mainstay in the Top five for weeks to come. One year ago "Twilight" opened with $69,637,740 and no one will be shocked if "New Moon" surpasses that number.
As a great counter-programming move (who'd have thought a Sandra Bullock movie would have "guy" appeal), the true life sports drama "The Blind Side" debuts this weekend. An absolutely terrific film that is at once moving and inspiring, this true story about an African-American youth who is nurtured and cared for by a high society woman and her family, and his ascendency to college and then professional football, is one of the best films of the holiday season and should remain in the box-office mix through the end of the year and beyond.
Also debuting in wide release is Sony's animated other-worldly family film "Planet 51." With a funny trailer and automatic "kid and family appeal," The film will benefit from an release date that will give it momentum heading into the all-important extended Thanksgiving holiday frame and find favor with families looking for appropriate post-holiday festivities entertainment.
A strong lead-up weekend to Thanksgiving is in-store as a combination of very strong hold-overs such as "2012" and "A Christmas Carol" will co-exist with "Precious" and "The Men Who Stare at Goats," while "New Moon," "The Blind Side" and "Planet 51" bring some major box-office heat. This is just the kind of close to year-end recipe we need to grab the first $10 billion year at the box-office.