EARLY FRIDAY BOXOFFICE: “Evil Dead” Possesses Ticket Buyers

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Preliminary numbers at Deadline have the remake of EVIL DEAD (TriStar/Sony/FilmDistrict) on track for a solid weekend win, with $11.5M on Thursday night/Friday and a probable front-loaded weekend in the mid $20Ms.  That would put it midway between the January horror launches of Texas Chainsaw Massacre ($21.7M) and Mama ($28.4M), and it’ll probably end up with around $50M in all, a nice haul for a picture with a $17M production cost.  The 3D re-release of JURASSIC PARK (Universal) had an estimated $7M Friday and should be in the mid-teens for the weekend, a breakeven proposition in the US (once marketing costs are figured in) that will hope for a Titanic-like international reception (that 3D conversion made over $200M overseas, mostly thanks to China).

Friday-to-Friday comparisons for holdovers are particularly steep because of last week’s Good Friday holiday.  GI JOE: RETALIATION (Paramount/MGM) had a $6.7M Friday, likely to be down around the standard 50% over its second weekend.  THE CROODS (DreamWorks Animation/20th), with $5.8M, was down 45% (compared to only an 8% drop last Friday), and should join GI Joe with around $20M for the weekend.  TEMPTATION (Lionsgate) and THE HOST (Open Road) both plummeted on Friday, and could fall 60% or more from their opening weekend, which is par for the course with each of their target demos.  OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (Disney) is nearing the tail end of its US run with a $2.3M Friday and a weekend that will be under $10M, as it moves toward a $225-230M total here and is in need of one of those big runs in China.