'Final Destination' and '30 Minutes' take on 'Apes'

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Music, comedy, horror and drama are in the mix at US theaters this weekend, all vying to kick Rise of the Planet of the Apes from the top position at the box office. With summer blockbusters winding down, four films in wide release are likely to spread out ticket sales.

Final Destination 5, the fifth installment of the successful horror franchise, may have the strongest chance of seizing the top spot. The fourth film grossed $27 million on opening weekend in 2009 and according to BoxOffice.com estimates this time are around $20 million.

The comedy 30 Minutes or Less starring Jesse Eisenberg ( The Social Network) and Danny McBride ( Your Highness) could also collect up to $17 million.

With its viral video buzz, this nerd action story follows up director Ruben Fleisher's Zombieland, which garnered $24.7 million on opening. The madcap story follows a pizza delivery guy forced to rob a bank strapped to a vest bomb.

The Help gets a jump on the weekend by opening Wednesday to build word-of-mouth. Based on the best-selling novel by Katherine Stockett, the film offers an alternative to offerings in theaters with a period story about a young reporter who crusades for African-American servants prior to the Civil Rights Movement.

According to Fandango, the American online cinema retailer, this female-oriented film, starring Emma Stone ( Crazy, Stupid, Love), Viola Davis ( Doubt) and veteran actresses Allison Janney, Sissy Spacek and Cicely Tyson, is outselling other films, as groups of women purchase advance tickets.

Predictions suggest it might make $12-18 million, but with a strong $5 million take on the first day it should skew higher.

Appealing to teens and multi-generational music fans of the hit television show, Glee: The 3D Concert Movie is expected to pull in $12-17 million, according to the Hollywood Stock Exchange. By comparison, Justin Bieber's Never Say Never opened with $29 million.

The Glee live tour coverage features Dianna Agron, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith and other cast members from the series.

If Twitter is any indication of popularity, the film with the most followers is Final Destination with almost 13,000, The Help comes in second place with 9,500, followed by Glee with 6,000, then The Smurfs, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and finally in the seventh spot 30 Minutes or Less.

Though these four new films should fare well, none seems to have the drawing power to beat Apes, which could seize the weekend again, even with a likely 50% drop from its $54.8 million opening last weekend.

Trailers:

Final Destination 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugUDNpKurXU
Glee: The 3D Concert Movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ84hXdoZMg
The Help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbuKgzgeUIU
30 Minutes or Less: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWEcNbEDg_E

RC