The fiery dragon breath of J.R.R. Tolkein’s Smaug is about to melt Disney’s at the box office.
After a record-breaking Thanksgiving (and follow-up) weekend dominated by the likes of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” and Disney’s latest animated musical sensation, audiences are set to return to Middle Earth as stomps its way into over 3,900 theaters.
Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” prequel trilogy, based on Tolkein’s book, kicked off last year with “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” The 2012 installment opened with $84.6 million around the same time last year and eventually made more than $1 billion around the world. But despite a marketing campaign heavy on Orlando Bloom’s elfin archer, Legalos, and the killer dragon name-checked in the movie’s title, “Smaug” is unlikely to achieve the same commercial heights as “Journey.”
Nevertheless, the second “Hobbit” film will make plenty of dough and is a shoo-in for the #1 spot this weekend. Industry analysts predicted an opening between $70 million and $80 million going into the weekend, and fan devotion to the series remains high. MTV News spotted a handful of guys dressed as Gandalf waiting in line for a midnight screening at Hollywood’s ArcLight Thursday night.
“Smaug” has better reviews than its predecessor, but neither “Hobbit” film came close to the 90+ percent Tomatometer rating claimed by all three “Lord of the Rings” movies. Of course, critics have never been able to stop Madea. Tyler Perry’s most well-known character has made plenty of dough through multiple films, all mostly savaged by critics. “A Madea Christmas” should be no exception, with an opening weekend around $30 million looking very likely.
Frozen” should make $20 million or so to land at #3, leaving the rest of the top 5 to “Catching Fire” and “Thor: The Dark World.”
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