BIG HITTERS

If you were to ask someone what Nicolas Cage has had more of, box office duds or follicle duds, 9 out of 10 people would probably have to consult Box Office Mojo and a local beautician to tally both counts up. With Season of the Witch, Cage once again has a mane that would make Narnia’s Aslan weep with envy. Cage could also very well have another dud on his hands. Originally set for release last March, the film about Crusading knights who must do battle with a possessed woman was pulled by Lionsgate. Relativity picked the film up and set their sights on this first weekend in January 2011. So, basically, Season of the Witch is getting dumped. Not the best factor in deciding a film’s box office success.

Cage has had an up and down struggle with opening weekend numbers. In the last decade, he’s had films open with $4.2 million (The Weather Man in 2005) and films open with $44.7 million (National Treasure: Book of Secrets in 2007). Like a shark, he’s always pressed on, always moved forward onto that next project that could, and usually does, bounce him back from whatever bomb recently landed on his career. You can probably expect one of those here with Season of the Witch.

January releases aren’t the brightest bulbs in the bunch. The highest opening for a January release was Cloverfield in 2007 with $40 million. Only 20 films have ever opened to more than $20 million in January, and one of those was the special edition of Star Wars in 1997. Add in the simple fact that the film just doesn’t look any good, and you’ve got a nice formula for a low double digits opening. But, hey, Cage will always have his hair, and Drive Angry 3D is merely a month away.

Scope those locks right here with the trailer for Season of the Witch. Did I say “scope”? Something this glorious can only be observed and studied:

FAMILIARITIES

Equally stunning is the gorgeous beard on one Tim McGraw. McGraw, that Silly Putty beard, and a drunken Gwyneth Paltrow are all featured in Country Strong. The film opened in limited release on December 22nd, I guess just in time for all those Oscar nods it’s bound to get. Sorry, guys, there is no award for Best Head in a Box. It expands to more than 1500 screens this weekend. I guess if they can’t gain any Academy Awards buzz, they’ll go for a nice money haul. Don’t expect that either, as the film is likely to fall somewhere around the $7-8-million mark.

What is likely to come out on top here is True Grit. Now I know I said the same thing this time last week, and the Little Fockers just had to go and prove me wrong. Well they’ll get theirs this weekend, as the drop-offs are sure to fall on the side of good. While Cage’s hair and McGraw’s beard are fighting for crumbs, Jeff Bridges’ eyepatch will be plucking the golden rooster and taking that #1 spot for the Coens once and for all.

LITTLE OPENERS

A few films open in limited release this weekend. There is nothing of particular note, as most of the awards season films have already been dispersed. Opening in limited release here are The Time That Remains opening at the IFC Center in New York; If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle opening at the Film Forum in New York; No One Killed Jessica opening in select cities; and Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune opening in New York City.

Here’s how the weekend is shaping up:

1. True Grit – $16.5m (-32%)
2. Little Fockers – $12.2m (-52.3%)
3. Season of the Witch – 11.4m NEW
4. Tron Legacy – $8.4m (-55%)
5. Country Strong – $8m EXPANDING
6. The Fighter – $6.8m (-31.8%)
7. Tangled – $6.8m (-29.6%)
8. Black Swan- $6.1m (-30%)
9. Yogi Bear – $6m (-50.5%)
10. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – $5.5m (-45.1%)

Not a serious haul here. In fact, with little from the Holiday season carrying over into the new year, we’re looking at the lowest opening weekend of the year since 2005. That probably won’t be the case for the rest of the month, though, as next weekend sees Green Hornet swinging in in 3D. Until then, though, the numbers will just have to settle on being a bit stagnant.

We’ll be back on Sunday to go over the weekend’s numbers.