PRISONERS TO HOLD BOX-OFFICE CAPTIVE THIS WEEKEND

Although Prisoners may be receiving some terrific reviews and is putting the names of Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal on theater marquees, studio tracking studies indicate that it is not likely to earn more than $20 million at the box office this weekend. That’s nothing to pooh-pooh about for a September release, but for a film starring Jackman and Gyllenhaal, it would represent something of a disappointment. The film reportedly cost around $45 million to make. A few box-office pundits are predicting that the film could surprise, particularly if word-of-mouth proves to be as positive as the reviews. The film’s principal competition is the second week of the horror flick Insidious: Chapter 2, which did indeed surprise last weekend as it grossed $40.9 million. However, horror films generally plunge deeply in their second week and few box-office pundits hold out hope for it to rise above the mid teens this weekend. Only one other film is opening wide this weekend: the 3D dance film Battle of the Year. It’s expected to flop with around $5-7 million.