Box Office: ‘Best Man Holiday’ Surges Friday, Could Cross $33 Million
The African-American comedy could come much closer to “Thor: The Dark World” than expected.
3:13 PM PST 11/15/2013 by Pamela McClintock
Malcolm D. Lee‘s sequel The Best Man Holiday — opening nearly 15 years after the first film — could approach or cross $33 million in its North American debut, vastly exceeding expectations.
The Universal comedy is pacing to gross $13 million or more on Friday, possibly eclipsing Thor: The Dark World for the day, although Thor 2 is still tipped to stay at No. 1 in its second weekend with a gross north of $37 million.
Thor 2 could approach $450 million in global ticket sales by the end of the weekend — catching up with the entire gross of the firstThor ($449.3 million) in another major victory for Disney and Marvel Studios’ Avengers universe.
From Universal, Best Man Holiday — projected to top out at $20 million — sees Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall,Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, Monica Calhoun and Melissa De Sousa reprising their roles. The first film, opening to $9 million in 1999, is credited with helping to usher in the era of aspirational African-American comedies.
Black films have been making strong gains at the North American box office, with Fruitvale Station, Lee Daniels’ The Butler and 12 Years a Slave all overperforming. Those movies — all dramas — are drawing a mixed audience, while Best Man Holiday is expected to play primarily to African-Americans, similar to Tyler Perry‘s pics.
Universal spent a modest $17 million to make the sequel, which Lee produced with Sean Daniel.
Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-best-man-holiday-656588
Photo: Universal Pictures
