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Couldopen to $100 million this weekend? Based on late Thursday earnings, this is actually within the realm of possibilities.The 10th movie from Marvel Studios earned a stunning $11.2 million from Thursday night showings beginning at 7 p.m. That's the biggest Thursday night debut so far this year ahead of($10.2 million). It's also way ahead of June's($8.75 million), which is the only movie to open over $100 million this year.Iffollows the same pattern as either of those movies—or ofand—it will score the biggest opening weekend of the year.Of course, there's a chance that it's more front-loaded than those movies. Shows began early (7 p.m.), and everyone is out of school (which wasn't the case with the April and May releases). Also, Marvel's most committed fans (i.e. the ones who go on Thursday night) have always been on board with; it remains to be seen if more casual viewers have bought in.Regardless, an August opening weekend record ($70-million-plus) is a lock at this point.Coming off a remarkably slow month at the box office,should get things back on the right track this weekend. The 10th movie in the "Marvel Cinematic Universe" will likely set a new August record, and could even come close to matching last year'sMeanwhile, James Brown biopicopens at 2,468 locations. For this weekend, at least, it will likely wind up in third place behind fellow Universal releaseOpening at 4,080 theaters—a record for an August release—is the first "original" Marvel movie since, which debuted around the same time in 2011. It's also the fourth Marvel title to hit theaters afterpropelled the brand to the next level; all three previous releases have debuted to at least $85 million.Conventional wisdom suggests that thewon't be able to match those sequels. While the comic book version of the characters has a solid cult following, the built-in fanbase isn't in the same stratosphere as Iron Man, Hulk, Thor or Captain America. Still, it is a Marvel movie, and its loose connection toshould be enough to get it to the same level asand($65 million).There's reason to believe thatcan actually open quite a bit higher than that. Recognizing that most people aren't familiar with the characters, Disney's marketing department has focused on correcting that. The first teaser trailer spends the majority of its time introducing each of the five Guardians, and the ensuing marketing material has followed up on that strategy. It's an odd bunch, for sure: Chris Pratt is the only human member, while two wacky CGI creations (a gun-toting raccoon and anthropomorphized tree) round out the group.Aside from selling the characters, Disney's confident marketing effort has worked to positionas a more light-hearted affair. While they aren't packed with jokes, advertisements do seem to emphasize the movie's tongue-in-cheek approach (which is complemented by the poster's "You're Welcome" tagline).The movie's soundtrack (filled with hits from the 70s and 80s) has also been a key element of the campaign: songs like "Hooked on a Feeling," "Spirit in the Sky" and " Cher ry Bomb" have all been used to good effect. The humor and the music has helpedreach beyond typical fans of sci-fi adventures, which have a mixed track record (for every, there's aor a).There's also been an aggressive marketing push in the run up to release. The Guardians have been everywhere promoting the movie, and even actors in minor characters (John C. Reilly, for example) have been doing the talk show rounds. The final batch of television ads have focused on highlighting the movie's strong reception with critics: as of Thursday afternoon,had an 89 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is roughly on par with April'sFandango reports thatis their biggest August pre-seller ever, and also indicated that it's out-selling the firstand. It seems like a safe bet, at this point, that the movie tops($69.3 million) to set an August opening weekend record. It's hard to imagine that it beats($95 million), but a debut in the $80-million range seems doable.will likely have a strong showing at the international box office as well.andearned $454 million and $438 million, respectively; whileprobably won't make it that high, a total north of $300 million is likely. An added bonus: international star Vin Diesel has recorded his character Groot's lines (or, one line) in five different languages (Brazilian Portuguese, Latin American Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and French).James Brown biopicalso opens nationwide this weekend, though it's unlikely that it opens above $20 million.Historically, music biopics are a mixed bag. Opening weekends are typically modest: 2005'sis tops with $22.3 million, while 2004'sopened to $20 million. James Brown is arguably as popular as Johnny Cash or Ray Charles, thoughdoesn't have the type of awards buzz that those late-year releases did, and an opening weekend a bit higher than($13.3 million) seems likely (Universal is expecting low-teen-millions).The movie is receiving solid reviews, though, and star Chadwick Boseman 's performance sounds like the type that could drive strong word-of-mouth. Similar to past August releasesand—which shares a director with—this should hold well over the remainder of the month.Fox Searchlight releasesat four locations this weekend. The comedy/drama reteamsdirector John Michael McDonagh with star Brendan Gleeson . That movie did solid business back in Summer 2011 ($5.4 million), and a similar result is possible for the well-reviewedAfter earning $2.69 million from 361 theaters last weekend,expands nationwide to 727 locations on Friday. The movie should once again wind up in the $2 to $3 million range.1.- $82 million2.- $18.9 million (-57%)3.- $15.5 million4.- $14 million (-53%)5.- $9.6 million (-43%)ought to be opening on par withand; anything above $65 million is a win. James Brown biopicis in decent shape if it tops $15 million this weekend.Box Office Mojo