Scary seconds: 'Evil Dead' and 'Jurassic Park 3D' to freak out audiences

This weekend brings a bit of an eerie déjà vu for audiences. The two new wide releases tread familiar territory. Evil Dead is a remake of the 1981 horror feature that later turned into a cult hit, and Jurassic Park is a re-release of the 1993 movie, only in 3D.

Evil Dead (3,025 theatres) "will make you comprehensively uncomfortable," warns critic Lianne Spiderbaby, who also urges those with a "weak stomach" to stay away. Horror fans, though,
should be enough to bring the remake to an opening above $20 million. Courtesy of Platinum Dunes (not responsible for this remake), there have been many reboots of horror classics like Texas Chainsaw Massacre in recent years. Some hit, others don't. The updated visuals and characters will undoubtedly draw some people who don't like the washed-out look on their VHS tape. It's likely both people who have seen the original and those that recognize the movie name but just haven't seen the original will be among the attendees. If Evil Dead is a success, a remake of the sequel won't be too far away.

The most terrifying movie of my childhood--and many others'--will re-release in 3D. Jurassic Park (2,771 theatres) isn't necessarily looking for the surprise success of some re-releases. For Jurassic Park 3D, however, there are two things that will make the re-release worthwhile: next
year's Jurassic Park 4 and China. Since Jurassic Park 4 will come out next summer, the re-release of the original now is just free publicity and a way to drive 3D Blu-ray sales.

The money will come from China. When Titanic 3D re-released last year, it earned $285 million overseas. Half of that amount, or $145 million, came from China. Meanwhile, the re-release earned just $57 million in the U.S. That type of box-office breakdown is just unheard of, but it demonstrates why China is such an important emerging market. Audiences in China had never had a chance to see the original on the big screen, making attendance a must.
Jurassic Park 3D should rake up money in China, or else someone's not doing something right.

In between creating the opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics, Danny Boyle filmed Trance (4 theatres), a Hitchcock-esque suspenseful tale that received good marks from critic Rex Roberts. The "stylish, diverting thriller," which stars James McAvoy, has an "original idea complemented by a witty script, imaginative direction and appealing cast, and enough sex and violence to keep us from thinking too hard about plot twists." That sounds like enough to whet the appetites of arthouse audiences and make this a spring indie pick.

Also in the mix is The Company You Keep (5 theatres), which stars and is directed by Robert Redford. Critic Doris Toumarkine predicts that the story of "a
former radical forced to go underground but living a quiet,
responsible life under a false identity until a journo outs him" will appeal to an "upscale audience...of the '60s generation" that may welcome the chance to revisit the radicalism in their own youth. With its older star, it will certainly appeal to the aging arthouse audiences--perhaps it will even approach the benchmark set by last year's retiree-fueled hit The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

On Monday, we'll see which movie audiences chose to terrify them, and if either of the arthouse releases received the biggest push for their platform releases.