Weekend Forecast: 'Gone Girl', 'Annabelle', & 'Left Behind'

Featured Stories - on October 01, 2014 by BoxOffice Staff

oct3.pngThree new wide releases kick off October this weekend.

Gone Girl

PROS:

- The wide popularity of the original novel has created an adult fan base greatly anticipating the adaptation.
- Star Ben Affleck has enjoyed a large amount of renewed goodwill in recent years thanks to his success in front of (and behind) the camera on works like Argo and The Town.
- Director David Fincher boasts a fan base of his own thanks to awards-contending hits like The Social Network, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
- Early buzz and critics' reviews suggest the film delivers on its promises of a taut mystery/thriller, a recipe for crowd-pleasing.
- Twitter buzz has significantly improved this week with over 50,000 tweets.

CONS:

- Despite Affleck's recent successes, will audiences hold last year's Runner Runner against him?
- Fincher's name carries a lot of appeal among cinephiles, but he's not exactly a household name among casual viewers.
- The film's early buzz may more easily suggest strong holding power as opposed to a big opening.
- Flixster audience buzz is solid, but the film's Facebook footprint leaves something to be desired with just over 104,000 fans.
- The breakout success of The Equalizer could cut down on interested adult audiences this weekend. 

Annabelle

PROS:

- Warner Bros. has wisely pushed the film's nature as a prelude to last year's horror blockbuster, The Conjuring.
- Twitter and Facebook buzz have been excellent in recent weeks, with the former leading all yet-to-be release movies.
- Horror fans haven't had much to get excited about this year; the genre is due for a breakout.

CONS:

- Will Conjuring fans be completely sold on the idea of a spin-off whose only carryover character is a doll?
- Flixster activity isn't outright negative, but it leans modest.
- Opening against an anticipated adaptation like Gone Girl will certainly limit the potential adult audience. 

Left Behind

PROS:

- Faith-based films have had a banner year at the box office in 2014.
- The Left Behind book series was one of the best-selling during its time of release.
- Adding a Hollywood name like Nicolas Cage could boost interest among faith-based audiences. 

CONS:

- Given Cage's general resume over the past few years, his name could also turn off moviegoers.
- Faith-based audiences won't show up for anything, and there may be a growing concern about Hollywood taking too big a hand in such films.
- Twitter and Flixster activity significantly trail that of Heaven Is for Real.  

Check out our complete weekend forecast in the table below.

Title Release Date Distributor Weekend Domestic Total through Sunday, October 5
Gone Girl Oct 3, 2014 Fox
 $31,000,000 $31,000,000
Annabelle Oct 3, 2014 Warner Bros. / New Line
 $27,000,000 $27,000,000
The Equalizer Sep 26, 2014 Sony / Columbia
 $18,000,000 $63,700,000
The Boxtrolls Sep 26, 2014 Focus
 $10,300,000 $30,400,000
The Maze Runner Sep 19, 2014 Fox
 $10,000,000 $72,000,000
Left Behind (2014) Oct 3, 2014 Freestyle Releasing
 $7,000,000 $7,000,000
This Is Where I Leave You Sep 19, 2014 Warner Bros.
 $4,200,000 $29,200,000
Dolphin Tale 2 Sep 12, 2014 Warner Bros.
 $3,000,000 $37,400,000
Guardians of the Galaxy Aug 1, 2014 Disney
 $2,700,000 $323,000,000
The Good Lie Oct 3, 2014 Warner Bros.
 $2,500,000 $2,500,000

Phil Contrino, Daniel Garris, Alex Edghill, and Shawn Robbins contributed to this report.

Tags: Annabelle, Gone Girl, Left Behind, predictions

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