Can "Super 8" zoom past the summer competition?
(CBS) In a summer filled with sequels, prequels and reboots, master director J J Abrams is betting on his nostalgic throwback to B-movies from the scary-film genre to resonate with audiences this weekend.
With the only other new film of note being "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer," his "Super 8" stands a chance, though "X-Men : First Class," going into its second week, will prove tough competition for this sci-fi ode to Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."
At the very least, with Spielberg co-producing and his protégé Abrams at the helm, audiences will be assured of an entertaining film. Early reviews suggest the action scenes are captivating and will keep you enthralled, but that the kids really hold the storyline.
The film is set back in 1979 (when Abrams was a teenager). A group of teenage boys are out having fun, shooting a zombie flick on their Super 8 camera when they witness a horrific train crash. Their sleepy, suburban Ohio town undergoes a transformation when a series of mysterious happenings begin to plague it.
The cast includes a group of unknown actors for the most part (the biggest name is Elle Fanning, younger sister of Dakota). That and the fact that the studio chose to focus on the relationships among the friends in promotional trailers, rather than on a pretty awesome train -wreck scene, or an alien invasion, may account for the film's lackluster tracking going into the weekend.
Still, it's expected to generate revenue around the $30 million; Judy Moody is looking at a much lower intake, somewhere in the $5-6 million range.
Back in 2009, "X-Men Orignins : Wolverine" tracked well the first week, but sales fell by almost 70 percent in the second week. If the same pattern holds true, it will be a tight race between the new "X-Men" prequel, starring James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence, and "Super 8."
To help generate buzz, Paramount tweeted about screenings in advance of the Friday opening, relying on word-of-mouth to help boost ticket sales