Horror films usually flop in May but Universal doesn't care. It's releasing The Strangers starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman anyway as a counterprogramming choice for those not interested in action or comedy. The R-rated film about masked intruders that terrorize a couple in their vacation home will face a tough time at the box office. The marketing push has not been too strong, starpower is lacking, and the concept isn't very compelling. And between Carrie Bradshaw and Indy, adults of both genders have much more interesting characters to spend their money on. A small portion of true horror fans may be the only takers. Invading 2,469 playdates, The Strangers could bow to about $8M.


See Liv Tyler get scared in The Strangers
Films usually fall pretty hard when coming off of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Chart-topper Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull should be no exception despite its older skew. Last year, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End tumbled by 62% on the same frame while the previous year's X-Men: The Last Stand crumbled by 67%. Both of those sequels launched over the Memorial Day session. Even 2004's non-sequel The Day After Tomorrow fell by 60%. The new Spielberg adventure seems to be liked by audiences a tad bit more so a 55% drop could result. Plus competition from the newcomers is not really direct so there will be no distractions for adult men. Look for Indiana Jones to take in about $45M boosting the cume to $216M after 11 days.

Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian has not been a winner with audiences as witnessed by its huge second weekend tumble. A 50% fall in the third frame would yield a $12M weekend raising the total to $114M. Iron Man will see a smaller decline thanks to its durability. The super hero flick could dip by 35% to about $13M for an impressive cume to date of $275M.

LAST YEAR: Johnny Depp and friends held the number one spot captive for a second straight weekend with Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End which grossed $44.2M on its way past the $200M mark. Bowing in the runnerup spot with strength was the pre-Juno pregnancy comedy Knocked Up with $30.7M for Universal on its way to $148.8M. It became the second biggest R-rated film of 2007 after 300. Shrek the Third dropped down to third with $28M in its third round. Kevin Costner opened his new film Mr. Brooks in fourth with $10M leading to a $28.5M final for MGM. Rounding out the top five was the third threequel of the list Spider-Man 3 with $7.6M in its fifth session.

Author: Gitesh Pandya www.BoxOfficeGuru.com