Traitor takes a Treacherous Route
August 28, 2008
Four weeks in a row with a Wednesday release. This time its Traitor's chance, although the odds are stacked against it.
First of all, it is not a powerhouse release and it is aiming to become a mid-level hit, at most. That kind of movie doesn't generally do well when released mid-week. Secondly, its reviews are barely above 50% positive, which is better than many films earn this time of the year, but not strong enough to be a selling point. Thirdly, it is opening in barely more than 2,000 theaters. None of these bode well for its chances.
I don't think it will do as poorly as The Rocker did, but there is a shot that it will. Just over $1 million tonight, under $1 million tomorrow, $5 million over the 3-day weekend, and another $2 million on Monday seems most likely. This would put it on pace for $20 million in total, more or less, which is in line with original predictions, albeit on the lower end.
Also expanding wide on Wednesday is Hamlet 2. However, after stumbling out of the gate last weekend, I'm not sure it will do well either. In fact, it should perform on par with The Rocker (just over $500,000 tonight, just under $500,000 tomorrow, just under $3 million over the weekend, and just under $1 million on Monday). However, with a much smaller theater count, its per theater average won't be quite as disastrous.