Labor Day is a dumping ground for bad movies, but this year seems more toxic than usual. Three of the four new wide releases--Babylon A.D. (Fox), Disaster Movie (Lionsgate) and College (MGM)--were not screened for critics, while Traitor, the Don Cheadle thriller from Overture, has managed just a 54 percent Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.
I am putting my money on a third consecutive weekend win for Tropic Thunder (Dreamworks/Paramount) with another excellent hold.
There are four new wide releases this week, but only of them is likely to top $10M for the traditional three-day weekend. The Jason Statham vehicle Death Race (Universal) seems to be getting some traction in industry tracking, although a huge breakout opening is unlikely.
Tropic Thunder (Dreamworks/Paramount) is a hit, but it will come in with a five-day of less than Sony’s Pineapple Express, and it seems that the Beijing Olympics may be hurting the new R-rated comedy’s performance.
Paramount/Dreamworks says that they have been expecting a soft opening for Tropic Thunder, but I am a bit surprised. Last night, I reported that the film generated $7.5M in Wednesday ticket sales, and, as it turns out, the real number is $6.5M.