“Insurgent” follows “Divergent” last year and it is looking to mirror that opening. That doesn’t mean the movie will not attract males, as it will, but this is a female driven series. Last weekend’s winner “Cinderella” was strongly seen by females, and that was expected, too.
The PG-13 “Insurgent” stars Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Theo James, Kate Winslet and Octavia Spencer. Set in a future Chicago, this continues the tale of Tris as she and others are on the run. The second in the series has much more action than the first one and that will help some like it while others may not. It may help more males show up, too, when they hear that from others who went.
It if does the same as “Divergent” last year ($54 million opening weekend), the studio will be happy. That may be all it can do unless more males show up, and treat it as a date night movie. Hey, that could happen.
Weekend
1. “Insurgent” – 3,750 theaters
2. “The Gunman” – 2,816 theaters
3. “Do You Believe?” – 1,300
Opposite programming comes from Sean Penn and “The Gunman.” However, a March sleepy release and no buzz at all should make this gunman shoot blanks. Idris Elba and Javier Bardem also stars in the R-rated picture. It is directed by Pierre Morel, who gave the world “Taken.”
This is the weekend that the NCAA men’s basketball tournament boasts a full state of action and will take a huge chunk of the audiences away from the movie theaters. Perhaps that is why there are two strong female-skewed wide releases the last two weekends. In fact, surely that is the case.
But, back to the film that will win in “Insurgent.” The second in the series, based on the Veronica Roth bestsellers, may rack up close to $60 million. This is the film that has all the buzz and it will attract the audiences this weekend. One wonders how far “Cinderella” will fall as the usual 50 percent takes shape. It may end up a one-two-punch of those female films. The usual drop puts it at around $30-33 million, so the top two spots are taken.
