December Movie Preview

[DainBramaged]

The final month of 2010 is here at last, though it's curiously absent of any guaranteed blockbusters. Tron Legacy has a raft of hype, but it would be unrealistic to expect it to be a smash based on its origins. Sequels The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Little Fockers will have a tough time reaching previous series highs, and Yogi Bear and Gulliver's Travels will need to go the extra mile to become this year's Alvin and the Chipmunks or Night at the Museum. Taking all of this in to consideration, this December likely won't match last December, which leveraged Avatar's massive success to become the highest-grossing December ever with $1.07 billion.

Dec. 3

As is typical for the slow post-Thanksgiving weekend, The Warrior's Way is the only new nationwide release on Dec. 3. For their first outing as distributor, Relativity Media is opening the movie at 1,622 theaters with relatively little fanfare. The Warrior's Way is a western-martial arts hybrid, and neither of these genres has been particularly successful recently. A good comparison on the martial arts side is Ninja Assassin, though it would be expecting too much for The Warrior's Way to match that movie's $38.1 million total. Two noteworthy limited releases also open Dec. 3. Ballet thriller Black Swan is the latest from director Darren Aronofsky. His last movie, The Wrestler, rode similar buzz to $26.2 million in 2008. Long-delayed Jim Carrey vehicle I Love You, Phillip Morris finally reaches theaters, though, in a crowded market, this quirky comedy is going to have a tough time standing out.

Dec. 10

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader faces The Tourist on Dec. 10. Following Prince Caspian's disappointing $141.6 million haul (less than half of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), distributor Walt Disney Pictures opted out of making Dawn Treader. 20th Century Fox picked it up and is hoping that moving the series back to December, putting spiritual figure Aslan front-and-center and adding the 3D illusion will be enough to reinvigorate the franchise. Trailers and commercials have been vague on story details, though, and the source material remains unfamiliar to the average moviegoer, suggesting that Dawn Treader may have a tough time hitting Prince Caspian's grosses.

Two of the world's most popular stars come together for the first time in romantic thriller The Tourist. While Angelina Jolie is curiously listed ahead of Johnny Depp in most promotional material, the previews suggest Depp is the lead. Jolie's higher credit is likely due to the fact that she is playing in her wheelhouse (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and Salt), whereas Depp is at his most successful when hidden beneath a layer of makeup (Pirates of the Caribbean, Alice in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). The Tourist should perform decently enough domestically, though look for it to leverage it's European setting and appealing stars in to stronger earnings overseas.

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