Denzel Washington stars in the Universal thriller 'Safe House.'
Based on early Friday box office grosses, Universal's "Safe House" may come as both the weekend's biggest winner and its biggest surprise.
B.O. watchers expect the Daniel Espinosa-helmed pic to earn between $13 million and $15 million today, putting it in the mid-$30 million range for the weekend. That's well above the $20 million-range estimates from earlier this week.
It's not immediately clear which film will win the weekend horse race; Friday returns point to an opening around $12.5 million for Sony's "The Vow," angling it toward an opening-weekend gross of $32 million to $33 million.
20th Century Fox's 3D release of "Star Wars: Episode I" is likely to follow with a bow in the mid-to-high $20 millions, based on an estimated $9 million-$10 million Friday take.
Box office observers say that Warner Bros.' "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" looks to pull in between $3.5 million and $4.5 million Friday, putting it in line to earn between $15 million and $16 million in its opening frame.
Meanwhile, Fox holdover "Chronicle" will likely be down 50% in its sophomore sesh, with B.O. analysts pegging the pic's weekend earnings around $11 milion.
Contact Rachel Abrams at
Rachel.Abrams@variety.com