Box Office Preview: 'Woman' soon in the black

The Associated Press, Thursday, February 2, 2012, 3:43pm (PST)

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- CBS Films' haunted-house tale "The Woman in Black" will likely creep to the top of the domestic box office with an expected opening gross in the low $20 millions.

Starring Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe in his first movie since the final installment of that franchise, the PG-13 film is expected to do well with teenage girls. But it also boasts enough jump-out-of-your-sea t moments to satisfy even the most hardcore horror fans, at least until Sunday's Super Bowl begins.

Fox is releasing its own fright flick "Chronicle," which should draw young males to this story of a group of high school friends who after a strange discovery, realize they suddenly have superpowers, but then learn there's a dark side to the magic. The PG-13 film is likely to debut with a gross in the $10 million-plus range.

Open Road's Liam Neeson vehicle "The Grey" enters its second weekend with strong midweek numbers and a shot at another $10 million after opening with a better-than-expected $19.7 million.

Universal debuts its own Alaskan adventure this weekend, with the PG-rated "Big Miracle" expected to put $8 million to $10 million on ice. Starring Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski, the PG-rated film is based on an actual 1988 incident in which a family of gray whales was trapped in a frozen inlet.

Meanwhile, Sony's "Underworld: Awakening" and Lionsgate's Katherine Heigl comedy "One for the Money" will tangle for the No. 5 spot on the weekend chart, with likely grosses in the $6 million to $7 million range.

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Paul Dergarabedian is president of the Box Office Division of Hollywood.com and provides box office analysis for The Associated Press.

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