By Chris Kavan - 06/27/13 at 04:13 PM CT
Last weekend the potent combination of Pixar's Monsters and Brad Pitt's zombies proved a recipe for box office success. This weekend sees the return of comedy and blockbuster action - but will it be enough to unseat a popular family film from the top spot? I think the deciding factor this weekend is going to be what the female audience shows up for: two top female comedians or a buff and sweaty Channing Tatum. At this point it could go either way.
THE HEAT The reason The Heat has the best chance this weekend is you're pairing director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) with the standout actress from that film, Melissa McCarthy (who already has a great streak going with the earlier success of Identity Thief) along with perennial favorite Sandra Bullock. This is recipe that could spell great success. Will it be up to Bridesmaids? That film ended up with $169.1 million so The Heat has a lot of expectations to meet. However, this perfect storm of talent has the chops to pull off such a feat - even if it can't beat that mark, it should be able to top the $134.5 million that Identity Thief made.
WHITE HOUSE DOWN I was able to catch an early screening of this and I have to say, as far as action movies go - this is by far the best one I have seen this year and sets quite a mark for future action films to live up to. The reason this works so well is that it mixes the right amount of action, comedy, drama and yes, even tension. Even if things are a bit predictable (and suitably outlandish), I have to hand it to Tatum and Jamie Foxx - they make a good team and the bad guys are likewise suitably despicable. Sure, it tries a bit too hard to integrate politics in the mix, but overall, if you're a fan of action - this is your ticket. It probably won't have enough oomph to beat The Heat, but I think it should play well and hopefully top Olympus Has Fallen - the earlier White House action film that wound up with $98.6 million. I think the talent here is worth the price of admission - the explosions? Icing on the cake.
I think it should be another profitable weekend for Hollywood. If the new movies perform to expectations and last week's winners stay strong, there is no reason we won't have another stellar box office. I'll see you Sunday with the final tally.
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