This weekend’s box office race should be interesting

Happy spring, everyone! Let’s hope we all thaw out in coming weeks. Spring not only means (hopefully) warmer weather, it also means more options for all of us, movie-wise. We’re one season closer to those summer blockbusters, and the films will get bigger and bigger with each passing weekend. This weekend, we’ve got two highly-anticipated major releases: The adaptation of the YA novel Divergent and Muppets Most Wanted. This is a tough one to call, but I do think that Divergent wins the weekend by a fairly wide margin.

I’ve made no secret of my strong desire to see Divergent as soon as possible, but I have to say, I’m really discouraged by the reviews, which are really terrible. My expectations are much lower now. I know this won’t be a Hunger Games movie. I think right now, I’m just hoping it’s better than The Mortal Instruments, Beautiful Creatures, all of the Twilight movies and The Host. Just please, please, let it be decent enough that I don’t fall asleep in the theater, or throw popcorn.

I’m anticipating a pretty brisk weekend at movie theaters, with Divergent and Muppets Most Wanted leading the charge. Kids are out for spring break, moms and dads are desperately trying to find suitable entertainment for them – and what better place to spend a few hours than in a movie theater? Muppets will benefit from the family-friendly crowds, and Divergent will benefit from a strong teen female fan base.

As for the rest of the pack, no doubt Mr. Peabody & Sherman will continue to do well (again, family-friendly fare), and I think 300: Rise of an Empire and Non-Stop could finish in the top five. But this weekend belongs to Divergent, which has the potential to become a franchise, with two other books in the series.

What do you guys want to see, if anything, right now? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Photo courtesy of EW.com