Weekend box office preview: Gravity will debut at number one

At long last, the world is set to get its first look at the new Alfonso Curaron 3-D sci-fi movie, Gravity. I suspect this film, which stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, is not only going to win the weekend box office race, but it will also win by a large margin over challengers like the suspense drama Runner Runner, which stars Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake.

Mark my words: This weekend is all about Gravity. I don't know about you guys, but I've seen a lot of trailer promotion in my TV market. It's a full court press. Sandra Bullock's performance in Gravity is generating some major Oscar buzz, and the reviews for the movie are beyond excellent. In fact, they're among the strongest reviews for a big budget blockbuster I've seen in quite a while. Any film that nabs a 98 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer is worth my time.

Expect a full review of Gravity, if I can handle the film without needing Dramamine. I have to see it, motion sickness or not.

I mentioned the drama Runner Runner earlier, and if you are a huge Timberlake fan, maybe you'll want to check this one out. The premise is interesting enough (the seedy world of Internet gambling), but the reviews for Runner Runner are anything but good. As much as I've enjoyed Ben Affleck's work as of late, and I do love some J.T., I think I'm safe in saying that waiting for the Runner Runner DVD might be the best option.

I guess it's not a stretch to say that last week's box office winner, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, will probably fare well again this week. At the moment, it's the only family-friendly movie out. If you've seen it, I'd love to hear what you thought in the comments.

If Gravity doesn't appeal to you, remember, you've got some other excellent options: Ron Howard's thrilling drama Rush is out, and the tense drama Prisoners is also still in wide release.

What say you, fellow movie lovers? Will you go with Gravity this weekend? Runner Runner? Or are you just sick of paying too much cash to see movies in the theater, so you're waiting for all of these to come out on DVD?

Photo courtesy of Filmonic.com