Although hipsters, cinephiles and big city folks are amped up for Christopher Nolan's espionage, dream thriller INCEPTION (Warner Bros), moviegoers in the middle of the country are a little less jacked up. My sources tell me that industry tracking remains surprisingly soft. In the words of one exec, "the tracking looks more like $40M-$45M, but I'm guessing it'll get higher." My sense is that today's most innovative filmmaker (Nolan) has created an "Event Movie" and that INCEPTION can get past $50M to a possible $55M.
The extraordinarily well-reviewed DESPICABLE ME (Universal) should hold strong, likely outpacing Disney's new THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE from mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer. With Nicolas Cage in the driver's seat and a splashy TV and outdoor campaign, APPRENTICE seems poised for a decent $24M 3-day, and, with a Wednesday opening, the family film could grab $36M by Monday morning.
EXCLUSIVE WEEKEND TRACKING REPORT
1. NEW - INCEPTION (Warner Bros) - $55M
2. DESPICABLE ME (Universal) - $31M
3. NEW - THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (Disney) - $24M ($36M for 5 days)
4. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (Summit) - $18.7
5. TOY STORY 3 (Disney) - $14.3
