New Movies January 27: Dogs and 'Resident Evil'
by EG
Three new wide releases come to theaters this weekend, and it's not clear if any of them will be able to take the week's top spot. There's a good chance that last week's number-one movie, Split, could repeat as champion.
The first of the week's new wide releases is A Dog's Purpose, a feel-good movie about canines that had been the favorite to win the week. However, when a video surfaced last week that appeared to show a dog being mistreated on the film's set, the project was suddenly mired in controversy. Audiences might have a hard time feeling good about the movie with the controversy hanging over their heads. The film is projected to earn $18 to $20 million, but those figures could turn out to be overly optimistic.
The second new movie of the week is Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. This video game adaptation is doing well internationally, but it will be lucky to earn $14 million for the weekend in the US.
The final new wide release is Gold, an adventure film starring Matthew McConaughey. It's not generating much interest ahead of its release and will probably earn less than $5 million for the weekend.
In its second weekend, Split is expected to earn somewhere between $15 and $20 million, and if A Dog's Purpose stumbles, that could be enough for the win.