Michelle Trachtenberg

March 2005 Forecast

There are some real possibilities for huge hits this month. I even think a few of these could have easily opened during the summer season and had great success. We have quite a few old favorites returning to the big screen, such as Sandra Bullock, Bruce Willis, and John Travolta. And there are quite a few sequels found in this month’s list that should do well also.

And now, on to my top ten for March.

1. Robots

Computer animated films seem to do well at the box office. Funny computer animated films with big name voice talent do even better. I think this one will do extremely well.

There are several factors that I see helping this film along to box office success. First, there’s the voice talent. Familiar stars such as Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Halle Berry, and Mel Brooks will definitely draw in audiences. Second, there is the usual huge marketing push from the studio. The airwaves and theaters have been flooded with commercials, trailers, stand-up displays, and much more to keep this movie in the public eye. And third, previous success of computer-animated films. 20th Century Fox can use “From the studio that brought you Ice Age” in their ads. Plus, the recent success of The Incredibles will make audiences thirsty for more of this genre. I think this all adds up to huge box office numbers.

2. Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

A lot of people fell in love with Sandra Bullock’s character in the original Miss Congeniality. It’s easy to do; she has that “girl next door” feeling about her that people find so attractive. You can relate to her and her characters. I think this is the type of role that people want to see Ms. Bullock in and will gladly cough up the big bucks to go out to the movies. She has been well-received in all of her comedic efforts and this one should prove no exception.

3. Beauty Shop

To some people, having this film way up here at number three may be a puzzle. However, those that know the success that Barbershop and Barbershop 2 had won’t be surprised. I think Queen Latifah will definitely take this franchise to all new heights in box office success. Ever since her wonderful role in Chicago, she has been building a name for herself in Hollywood and it’s really paying off. She has her pick of projects and having her name attached to one is a real bonus. I think we’ll definitely have a Beauty Shop 2 sometime in the future.

4. Be Cool

Here’s another film with a lot of pieces that will add up to solid numbers at the box office. First, there’s the cast to consider. John Travolta, Uma Thurman, The Rock, and Danny DeVito all have the power to bring up a film’s box office take just by their presence. Second, Elmore Leonard wrote the book that this film is based on. Having Leonard attached to a project helps out immensely. He creates unique and memorable characters that audiences love or love to hate. And third, director F. Gary Gray always seems to bring out the best in the cast and script he’s working with. He makes sure audiences enjoy themselves and that’s what people want.

5. Hostage

Bruce Willis just can’t seem to give up the role of the heroic police officer. And there’s no reason he should. He plays that role well and audiences buy into his portrayals. I like the twist that has been added to this movie - the hero’s own family is in danger as well. I think by keeping the script ideas fresh and exciting, audiences don’t get bored with these types of films and keep them wanting more. This film should open with a solid fifth place finish this month.

6. The Pacifier

In January, we saw Ice Cube take a role in a family film. Here’s another case where an actor does the same; this time it’s Vin Diesel. Before January, I would have had this film a lot lower in the top ten, but Are We There Yet? really proved me wrong. It had a big opening weekend and as I write this, it is still in the top ten nationwide after six weeks of release with a gross of over $76 million. I think we’ll see the same thing happen here. The only reason I didn’t put this film higher was that there’s some stiff competition up at the top of this month’s chart.

7. The Ring Two

The Ring left a lasting impression on audiences with both the Japanese and American versions. The filmmakers really had you thinking that the videotape could be real. But even though this is a horror film with a built-in following, I think the sequel label will hurt it a bit. The commercials and trailer really aren’t getting me interested that much, but then again I’m not the demographic that the studio is necessarily shooting for. Even though I placed this at number seven overall, it wouldn’t surprise me to see this one end up higher.

8. Ice Princess

I think Michelle Trachtenberg made a good career move with this film. She’s been trying to make the transition from television to film since Buffy the Vampire Slayer was cancelled. Her role in Eurotrip seemed to be too drastic of a change from her Dawn character on Buffy. I’m sure she wanted to break from the stereotype of her being a “good little sister”, but I think that role was a little too much and too soon. By taking a step back in this Disney-backed film, I think she’s setting herself up for much greater long-term success in the future. If this film does decently at the box office, I think we’ll see more starring roles for her in the near future.

9. Guess Who?

This is a remake of the classic Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? The only thing I want to say is that the only thing that Ashton Kutcher and the legendary Sidney Poitier have in common is that they are both male. The one thing that will keep this movie from ending up in the dumper is the Kutcher groupies that will come out to support him.

10. The Upside of Anger

Kevin Costner’s fame light is really getting dim in my opinion. It used to be that when you heard that Costner was in a film, you’d want to see it. Now it seems that you don’t even hear that he’s in a movie at all. He just doesn’t have the powerful influence that he used to have and the box office take for this film should reflect that fact.