Forecast

Not much to talk about as there aren't any new wide releases this weekend. Studios seemed to have learned their lesson about this traditionally slow frame, as they have been burned time and again by such stinkers as Psycho '98, Daylight and Trapped in Paradise. On second thought, it could just be that they didn't have anything to dump this time.

Aside from the amounts involved, Toy Story 2's box office pattern has been similar to last year's A Bug's Life, which dropped 48% to $17.2 million in its second week. Factor in a slightly bigger decline due to it being a sequel and the difficulty for a picture to maintain numbers at this level. Still, it will have a record gross for this frame.

The World is Not Enough has also shown a similar pattern to a predecessor, 1995's Goldeneye. That picture dropped 63% from its $26 million holiday weekend to around $9.6 million. World has been declining at a slightly faster rate, so it should also take a slightly sharper drop, adding another $11 million or so.

Smarting after a disappointing opening, End of Days looks to continue to disappoint. It's the kind of picture that everyone rushes to see the first weekend, so a drop of at least 50% is in store. Same goes for Sleepy Hollow, which took a sizable 39% hit last weekend.

Meanwhile, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace re-opens in 350 cities and on approximately 750 screens for a one-week charity engagement. Absent from theaters since November 4, demand has built up enough for it to have a decent showing. Due to a vague theater count I won't make a prediction for it though.

For the specific predictions, check out the Forecast.