'Awakening' should top B.O.'s wide quartet

Overall domestic box office should continue its 6% lead over this time around around a year ago, because the new the new sony-Screen Gems' fourth "Underworld" installment, "Awakening," is predicted to achieve getting a bow inside the mid-$20 million range a couple of days ago. Yet another troupe of wide players -- Warner Bros.' "Very Noisy and very Close," last century Fox's "Red-colored-colored Tails" and Relativity Media's "Haywire" -- should help January's solid totals. According to some B.O. experts, "Very Noisy," growing to 2,630 locations within the fifth frame, and "Red-colored-colored Tails" may be close just north of $millions of each through Sunday. Fox, however, needs an even more modest bow for "Red-colored-colored Tails" inside the high single-amounts -- such as the total expected for "Haywire." Warners has held "Very Noisy" at six locations since bowing the film on Christmas Day. Pic's domestic cume stands at $681,000 for just about any per-screen average of $113,500. Also competing for your weekend's top-five positioning: repeat players "Contraband" and "Beauty as well as the Animal" in 3d. Both films received favorable exit poll ratings a week ago, which indicate potentially strong soph-sesh perfs. "Contraband" has cumed $32.3 million Stateside through Wednesday while "Beauty" has raked in $24 million in your area. Other game game titles growing are the Weinstein Co.'s Golden Globe-winning pair "The Iron Lady" and "The Artist." The prior, with $8.4 million after 72 hours, adds almost 275 U.S. locations for just about any total 1,076, while "The Artist," with nearly $millions of in your area, increases within the ninth frame to 662 engagements. Overseas, Warner Bros.' two-week champion "An Online Detective: A Game Title Title of Shadows" could fall to "Awakening," which bows day-and-date in 35 areas. (The brand new the new sony has all worldwide rights, except inside the U.K. and France.) "Underworld: Awakening," which marks the return of star Kate Beckinsale for the vampire franchise, may also be the series' first 3d installment. "Awakening" bows at 3,078 total playdates, which 2,545 are 3d, including 254 Imax locations. The series' fourth installment set you back a reported $70 million, however the new the new sony mentioned it hopes "Awakening," with Beckinsale back plus an added boost from 3d, can grow more effective legs than its three forerunners. The Three prior obligations all cumed in your area a maximum of two and a half occasions their opening -- a typical multiple for similar genre photos. The second "Underworld" film, "Evolution," acquired the franchise's best debut at $26.9 million in 2006, the 2003 original released a dent or dimple of $21.8 million, and "Rise in the Lycans" plastic box $20.8 million. "Awakening" is predicted to see easier to teens. Fox's "Red-colored-colored Tails," meanwhile, will open to a largely African-American male audience, in line with the studio, though that could expand. Fully funded by Lucasfilm for roughly $58 million, "Red-colored-colored Tails" notifies the story in the Tuskegee Airmen, the initial African-American aircraft aircraft pilots to fly combat missions throughout Second world war. Ensembler features Cuba Gooding Junior., Kevin Phillips and Terrence Howard. Fox mentioned the film's PG-13 rating should permit some interest by family audiences. According to online ticketing site Fandango, "Red-colored-colored Tails" was leading Thursday's ticket sales, with 27%, outpacing both "Underworld" (24%) and "Haywire" (3%). "Haywire," a Relativity project from helmer Steven Soderbergh, cost the studio a reported $23 million. But due to tax savings from Ireland and foreign pre-sales, Relativity could reduce its risk to merely $1.5 million, excluding marketing costs. The film launches day-and-date a couple of days ago via Lionsgate Intl. in seven offshore areas, like the U.K., Russia, Taiwan and India. Worldwide cast is introduced by Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas and Michael Fassbender. Bowing a couple of days ago within the Stateside niche B.O., the Weinsteins' "Coriolanus" opens at nine locations. Fox's Mexican pic "Miss Bala" bows at four. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com