Box Office: Forgetting the Forbidden

It was a tough race to call, but looking back and realizing that if I had just swapped Prom Night and Street Kings I would have had a perfect prediction, all I can say is "D'oh!" The slasher reimagining took the lead by quite a margin, with the Keanu Reeves cop drama taking the silver. Say what you will about PG-13 horror and/or horror remakes, but Prom Night made back its $20 million budget in a single weekend, so we can probably expect more of the same. Smart People, last week's third new release, came in seventh. Here's the top five:

1. Prom Night: $20.8 million
2. Street Kings: $12.4 million
3. 21: $10.4 million
4. Nim's Island: $9.1 million
5. Leatherheads: $6.2 million

What's new for this week? Glad you asked:

88 Minutes
What's It All About: Al Pacino plays a university professor and an expert in forensic psychiatry, and he's just been informed via an anonymous phone call that he has only 88 minutes left to live. Kind of a cross between DOA and 24.
Why It Might Do Well: Pacino is still the man ...
Why It Might Not Do Well: ...however, his star power may not carry much weight with younger ticket buyers, and a 22% rating from Rottentomatoes.com does not bode well. Also, of this week's new flicks, this one is hitting the smallest number of theaters.
Number of Theaters: 2,000
Prediction: $9 million



The Forbidden Kingdom
What's It All About: Martial arts stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li join forces for the first time. A young American boy time travels back to ancient China and joins up with a group of warriors determined to free their king.
Why It Might Do Well: Yuen Woo Ping, who served as fight coordinator on many flicks including The Matrix trilogy and the Kill Bill films, works his magic here, so the action should be something to behold, and a 73% rating at Rottentomatoes.com ain't too shabby.
Why It Might Not Do Well: I'm betting a lot of the young people who would be into this kind of flick will be out seeing Forgetting Sarah Marshall instead.
Number of Theaters: 3,000
Prediction: $16 million

Forgetting Sarah Marshall
What's It All About: This is the latest comedy from the Judd Apatow camp, with Apatow vets Jason Segel, Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd returning. Segel is dumped by his girlfriend, the titular Sarah Marshall (played by Kristen Bell), and he decides a vacation getaway is just what he needs to get over his heartbreak. The plan goes horribly wrong when he finds out that Sarah and her new beau are staying at the same Hawaiian resort.
Why It Might Do Well: Apatow flicks have proven to be reliably hilarious, and I'm betting this one will continue the trend. Rottentomatoes.com is giving it a whopping 87% fresh rating. Also, should you be suffering from any form of ocular malady, be advised that Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis are very easy on the eyes.
Why It Might Not Do Well: You doubt me? Don't make me come over there.
Number of Theaters: 2,700
Prediction: $25 million

To come up with this week's prediction I broke out that set of Muppet tarot cards I got last Christmas, and I'm sorry to report that the Death card isn't nearly as ominous when it sports a picture of Elmo. Anyway, here's how I think next week's top five will turn out:
1. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
2. The Forbidden Kingdom
3. 88 Minutes
4. Prom Night
5. Street Kings

Erin was the only one to turn in a perfect prediction this time around. Here's how everyone did:
1. Erin: 16
2. Jessejames: 13
2. I Eat Robots: 13
3. DarkAgair: 12
3. Mario: 12
4. Matt: 11
4. Alex Farquharson: 11
5. Aaron: 9
6. Ray: 7
6. Wayne: 7
7. cubitfox: 6
8. uforeader: 3
9. Christopher: 3

Will more than 88 people show up for 88 Minutes? I would think so, but you tell me. Post your predictions for the top five movies in the comments section below before 5:00PM Eastern Time 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.