Box Office Forecast - Attack of the Talking Chihuahuas

Sometimes, you just gotta let Disney have one. Historically, I'd say nobody in the industry comes close to marketing their films to their audience as well as The House of Mouse. This weekend is one of those times. Beverly Hills Chihuahua should have an easy time of it, despite looking like, well, Beverly Hills Chihuahua. It's a family comedy about talking dogs and it's opening in 3,000 theaters, the widest release of the weekend. If, say, Body of Lies were opening here as well, it might be a different story, but that movie isn't until next week, so it should be smooth sailing this weekend for Chihuahua. The other new release that has a fair amount of business coming its way is Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. I wouldn't expect Superbad or Juno numbers here for Michael Cera, but it has the potential to do $40 million or so in the long term. That's pretty respectable for a movie of its kind. This weekend, because it's only opening in 2,300 theaters, we're probably looking at a low teens figure, maybe $14 million if it gains momentum. If this were a slightly wider release, in the 2,700 range, this could have had a $17 or $18 million debut. None of the other new releases are going to make much of a dent, simply because they aren't having a wide enough release. But didn't Kirk Cameron shock the world last week, placing fourth with the limited release Fireproof? Yes, but it had a built-in audience, I guess you could say. Put it this way: It did well for the same reason horror movies do well. That audience just wasn't going to see anything else last weekend. The Top Five: 1 - Beverly Hills Chihuahua ($27 million)
2 - Eagle Eye ($14 million)
3 - Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist ($13 million)
4 - Nights in Rodanthe ($9 million)
5 - How to Lose Friends and Alienate People ($6 million)