A trio of new movies in different genres this week enter the battle for the box office crown against the 800-pound gorilla that is Avatar.
Opening this week are the Lionsgate horror film Daybreakers, hitting 2,523 cinemas; the romantic comedy Leap Year, which Universal is placing at 2,511 theaters; and the Weinstein Co./Dimension comedy Youth in Revolt, which will open in 1,873 facilities.
Only time will tell if any of them can make a dent in the Avatar juggernaut. The Fox release has surpassed The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in the all-time global box office rankings to sit in second place ‘ behind only Titanic, also a James Cameron movie. The film’s has grossed $1.13 billion worldwide and $374 million domestically.
Other holdovers expected to continue to perform well include Sherlock Holmes and the hybrid live-action and CG animation feature Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.
Other animated features still in release include Disney’s The Princess and the Frog and Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox.
