Box Office Predictions: Hop To Hold At #1

Last weekend Hop did much better than expected at the box office. With the opening of the Arthur remake on April 8, this weekend Russell Brand will be fighting against himself for the top spot. Meanwhile, a slew of new releases battle for box office supremacy with James Franco‘s stoner comedy Your Highness up against the action thriller Hanna, the teen drama Soul Surfer and Russell Brand’s Arthur. It will be a busy busy weekend at the box office.

And now for our predictions:

#1: Hop

After last weekend’s surprising opening, Hop is in a good place to hold strong. Hop received solid Cinema Score numbers, better than expected weekday numbers, and sees no kids-film competition until next weekend’s release of Rio. Look for Hop to cling to the #1 spot this weekend.

Our Prediction: $22M Weekend Box Office

#2: Arthur

Russell Brand quickly returns to the big screen this weekend – now in live action – with the remake of  the Dudley Moore classic Arthur. While a remake may not have been necessary (but how many remakes are?), Arthur is a good platform for the comedy stylings of Brand – or at least in the in hopes of solidifying his box office clout. Get Him To The Greek showed that Brand could open a comedy to solid numbers and his popularity has grown since then. With funny trailers, decent reviews, and the success of Hop, Arthur should find itself landing in the #2 spot this weekend.

Our Prediction: $17M Opening Weekend Box Office

#3 Your Highness.

This weekend’s other comedy is a stoner sword and sorcery film starring James Franco, Danny McBride, and Natalie Portman. With his poorly received performance at the Oscars, James Franco will try and overcome the bad buzz  generated by that to score a solid opening weekend. McBride has a hardcore if modest following, but if you throw in Natalie Portmans, with her recent Oscar win and success with No Strings Attached, Your Highness should open with a decent take and land at the # 3 spot.

Our Prediction: $14-15 Opening Weekend Box Office

Source Code is the best reviewed film of the  year,  and with a decent opening last weekend, Jake Gyllenhaal will should prove that he can lead a film to box office success. But while the reviews were great, word of mouth may not be as Source Code received on a B rating from Cinema Score. The film will rely heavily on word of mouth, but if you add in the competition from Limitless, The Lincoln Lawyer then Source Code should show a more modest hold to – at best – land at the # 4 spot this weekend.

Our Prediction: $10 M Weekend Box Office

Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett star this weekend in the drama Hanna. Though neither stars are proven box office draws, the intriguing premise, solid trailers, and months of promotion should help secure Hanna a #5 opening this weekend.

Our Prediction $8M Weekend Box Office