‘The Grinch’ Aims for $67 Million Debut
Variety.com: His heart may be small, but that doesn’t mean his box office returns will be.
“Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” is looking to top the weekend box office in its debut with an estimated $67 million from 4,141 North American locations.
Benedict Cumberbatch voices the titular green Whoville denizen in Universal’s new adaptation of Seuss’ 1957 story from Illumination. Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney directed the Yuletide pic from a screenplay by Michael LeSieur and Tommy Swerdlow. Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Cameron Seely, and Angela Lansbury also lent their voices to the feature, with Pharrell Williams narrating and music by Danny Elfman.
The film has an early Rotten Tomatoes score of 54% and has landed an A- CinemaScore.
The last “Grinch” adaptation, 2000’s instant classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” starring Jim Carrey and directed by Ron Howard, earned $55 million in its opening weekend, giving this year’s animated version a significant box office edge. The film wound up with $345 million worldwide.
The Grinch” is Illumination’s second Seuss story adaptation after “The Lorax,” which opened in 2012 to $70.2 million and totaled $348.8 million worldwide.
