The first wave of Friday box office return data is in, and “Social Network” is predictably pacing to claim an easy weekend box office victory.
According to Deadline, the critically-acclaimed “Network” appears set for just shy of $10 million at the Friday box office, which would produce an opening weekend in the neighborhood of $25-30 million. Right on target, the film will certainly have a wide audience, and it now has to hope that its reasonably wide net of appeal can carry enough buzz to push it through the winter awards season.
In addition to claiming the overall box office crown, “Social Network” will be the only new release to make any impact. Early tracking on both “Let Me In” and “Case 39” looks abysmal, with both films tracking for first-day performance in the realm of $1.5-2 million. That could mean opening weekends of just $5 million, a pair of disappointments no matter how one spins the data.
