Universal’s Navy SEALs action film “Lone Survivor” is showing plenty of force at the U.S. box office with a $28 million to $30 million weekend, according to estimates based on early showings Friday.
That’s well above previous forecasts, which had placed “Lone Survivor” in the mid-to-high teens in its first weekend of wide release at 2,650 locations. Friday’s grosses for Peter Berg’s well-reviewed project, which has been playing in a pair of theaters over the past two weeks, look to wind up in the $10.5 million to $11.5 million range.
Disney’s toon “Frozen,” which won last weekend with $19.6 million, is expected to finish second in the low teens for Friday-Sunday. The family-friendly comedy has topped $302 million domestically.
The only wide opener is Lionsgate’s sword-and-sandals actioner “The Legend of Hercules,” starring Kellan Lutz and tracking to gross around $6 million to $9 million in the three days.
Warner Bros.’ futuristic “Her,” which broadens to 1,729 locations, appears headed for $2 million on Friday and a $6 million weekend. The Weinstein Co.’s “August: Osage County” is also expanding into 905 locations; early forecasts project to between $7.5 million to $10 million for the three days.
Paramount’s third weekend of “The Wolf of Wall Street” will likely be a factor. The Leonardo DiCaprio drama has been holding well during mid-week days and led the chart on Thursday with $1.5 million for a cume of nearly $70 million Stateside since its Christmas Day launch.
