Box Office: The Eyes Have It

If you had told be last week that we'd be seeing Meet the Spartans at the top of this week's list I'd have laughed heartily and perhaps have made a rude gesture or two. Judging by most of the entries in last week's box office competition I'm not the only one surprised. Rambo came in a close second and Cloverfield, which I predicted would hold the top spot for another week, dropped a surprising 68% after a $40 million opening weekend. Here are the final numbers:

1. Meet the Spartans: 18.7 million
2. Rambo: $18.2 million
3. 27 Dresses: $13.6 million
4. Cloverfield: $12.7 million
5. Untraceable: $11.2 million

This week sees the release of two new comedies (one for the boys and one for the girls) a scare flick and a concert movie for an act whose demographic is so far removed from me they might as well be appealing to extraterrestrials.

The Eye
What's It All About: This remake of a Japanese Chinese horror film stars Jessica Alba as the recipient of a cornea transplant who begins having horrific visions and premonitions of deadly events which spur her to find out just whose eyes she been given.
Why It Might Do Well: If you're looking for a good creep-fest, this may fit the bill.
Why It Might Not Do Well: While I've enjoyed a handful of the Asian horror remakes, most of them leave me cold.
Number of Theaters: 2,200
Prediction: $14 million

Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour
What's It All About: The young pop star and her character from her successful Disney Channel series appear in a concert film shot during a 69-city U.S. tour and shown in 3-D.
Why It Might Do Well: Not destined for the top five, but given the ridiculous prices Hanna Montana concert tickets are fetching, this should do brisk business within its niche market.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Only if every kid in America between 10 and 14 is grounded this weekend.
Number of Theaters: 680
Prediction: $5 million
Over Her Dead Body
What's It All About: A romantic comedy in which Eva Longoria plays a recently deceased woman who is haunting her former fiancé (Paul Rudd) and his new psychic girlfriend.
Why It Might Do Well: Ghostly romance is a long standing Hollywood tradition, as witnessed in Ghost, Kiss Me Goodbye and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The trailer is pretty lame.
Number of Theaters: 1,950
Prediction: $6 million

Strange Wilderness
What's It All About: The crew of a failing wilderness show go in search of bigfoot to boost ratings.
Why It Might Do Well: That bit with the shark just kills me. Seriously.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Relatively small release will keep the numbers down.
Number of Theaters: 1,100
Prediction: $8 million

Here's how I think things will look next weekend:
1. The Eye
2. Rambo
3. Meet the Spartans
4. Cloverfield
5. Strange Wilderness

And here are the results of our weekly competition. Don't forget to check the bottom of this post for some important info regarding predictions. We had a healthy turn out and I hope even more of you will throw in your two cents this week.
1. Bubba8193: 16
2. Matt: 8
2. Gregory Rubinstein: 8
2. Lee S: 8
2. Anna07: 8
2. AJ Wiley: 8
3. Ray: 7
3. Porcalina: 7
4. Smiggy: 6
4. Camille: 6
4. Joseph Land: 6
4. Chris: 6
4. T.J.:6
5. Aaron: 5
5. Kevin D: 5
6. Jason Roberts: 4

PLEASE NOTE! NEW DEADLINE FOR PREDICTIONS!
As Aaron pointed out in the comments section last week, the 5:00PM on Saturday deadline doesn't make sense since partial box office data is already available by that time. That particular deadline was a holdover from when this feature would post on Fridays. Our new deadline is going to be 5:00PM on Friday, and in the interest of being fair to all participants, this deadline will be strictly enforced.

The rules remain the same. Post your predictions for the top five movies in the comments section below before 5:00PM on Friday. One point for every top five movie correctly named, two points for every correct placement, and one extra point for the top movie. Make me proud, people.