The road-trip comedy Wild Hogs will blaze a trail at the weekend box office in North America, leaving fellow rookies Zodiac and Black Snake Moan in the dust, industry trackers say. Hogs stars John Travolta, Tim Allen, William H. Macy and Martin Lawrence as middle-aged suburbanites who take their motorcycles on a road trip in an effort to reclaim their youth.
Drawing interest primarily from the over-25 crowd, Hogs should open in the $20 million range for the three-day period, but never underestimate Disney's marketing efforts; the film could get into the mid-$20 millions. Zodiac is expected to open in the low- to midteen millions, while Black Snake Moan is unlikely to top $10 million. The edgy Paramount releases are earning strong reviews, and because there isn't much cutting-edge product in the marketplace, they could surprise. Zodiac, starring Robert Downey Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo, revolves around men who become obsessed with the Bay Area's Zodiac Killer. Based on a book by Robert Graysmith, it marks director David Fincher's follow-up to 2002's Panic Room, which bowed to an astounding $30 million. Zodiac is more likely to match Seven, which debuted to $13.9 million in 1995. One thing for sure is that Jim Carrey's critically maligned psychological thriller The Number 23 will take a big hit after opening at No. 2 last weekend with $14.6 million behind Ghost Rider with $20.1 million. Black Snake Moan also is likely to take a bite out of 23. The pulpy, B-style movie centers on a Southern preacher (Samuel L. Jackson) who chains a woman of ill repute (Christina Ricci) to a radiator in the hopes of redeeming her soul. The film is from Hustle and Flow writer-director Craig Brewer. In limited release, New Line bows Full of It in 15 theaters. The teen comedy stars Ryan Pinkston as an outcast who wakes up one morning to discover that all of his lies have come true. It is unlikely to do much business. MGM opens Two Weeks in 12 theaters. It revolves around a dysfunctional family that reunites for a mother's final days, only to be stuck together for two weeks as she hangs on longer than expected.