New Movies February 3: Space and Rings
by EG
In the doldrums of winter, there's not much excitement at the box office. This week sees two new wide releases coming to theaters, neither of which is likely to heat things up.
The first of the week's new movies in Rings, a sequel to the 2002 horror film The Ring. This new film is, like the original and its first sequel, about a haunted video, but this time around the plot has been updated for the digital age. This one is unlikely to be a break-out hit, but if it can scare up earnings in the mid-teens, million-wise, it could elbow its way high up into the top five.
The other new wide release is The Space Between Us, a sci-fi flick that looks like a teen-friendly cross between The Martian and Interstellar. With some luck, this one could also score in the teens and compete at the top of the chart.
Otherwise, it looks like a weekend for hold-overs, with Split, A Dog's Purpose and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter jockeying for position. Oscar nominees Hidden Figures and La La Land will also continue to capitalize on post-nomination interest, making for a box-office weekend that's probably going to be dominated by old news.