Holiday Box Office Likely To Set A Record

26 May 2011

Picture: Panda Los Angeles premiere of 'Kung Fu Panda 2' held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre Los Angeles, California - 22.05.11

Holiday Box Office Likely To Set A Record

The Memorial Day weekend, which for Hollywood officially starts today (Thursday) and concludes on Monday, is expected to be memorable, with Warner Bros.' R-rated The Hangover II pulling in one camp of moviegoers and the family film Kung Fu Panda 2 pulling in another. Warner Bros. has high hopes for its latest Hangover, which it has been promoting like a tentpole release. (At the Cannes Film Festival there were as many posters on display for the movie -- which wasn't shown at the festival -- as there were for any festival entry. Oddly, it's being released in France under the title Very Bad Trip -- printed in English.) "There is enormous pent-up demand to see this film, and the 18-to-35 demo is going to come charging through the door," Warner Bros. distribution chief Dan Fellman told the Hollywood Reporter . "Thursday and Friday," he predicted, "will be extremely strong." He's estimating that the film will earn more than $100 million over the five-day holiday. Paramount is being a bit more conservative about the prospects of its Dreamworks Animation feature, Kung Fu Panda . It's figuring that it will earn $70 million over the holiday. Commented today's Los Angeles Times "If both of the new releases deliver on the high end of expectations -- and holdover Pirates Of The Caribbean On Stranger Tides doesn't drop too drastically -- this could become the highest-grossing Memorial Day weekend ever."

26/05/2011

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