‘Need For Speed’ Could Cross The Finish Line With $25 Million This Weekend

Need for Speed is gearing up for a modest weekend at the box office.

Based on the video game franchise of the same name, Act of Valor director Scott Waugh’s action flick could generate around $25 million from moviegoers. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Need for Speed is tracking pretty well with the younger crowd. However, folks who love car movies could give the flick some of their money as well.

The adaptation stars Breaking Bad alum Aaron Paul as Tobey Marshall, a man who embarks on a cross-country race to get revenge on the person responsible for his friend’s untimely demise. The film reportedly cost DreamWorks $66 million to produce. Touchstone Pictures is releasing the flick into theaters.

ScreenRant predicts that Need for Speed could easily slide into the top position at the weekend box office. The website believes that 300: Rise of an Empire will likely land at number two, while Mr. Peabody and Sherman should round out the top three.

Also headed to theaters this weekend is writer-director Tyler Perry’s The Single Moms Club, though it’s doubtful the comedy will give Need for Speed a run for its cinematic money. The movie is presently expected to make somewhere between $15 million and $20 million over the next three days, which is fairly typical of Perry’s efforts.

Director Rob Thomas’ Veronica Mars, a project that began its life on Kickstarter, will arrive in a few hundred theaters this weekend as well. If you don’t feel like heading to your neighborhood multiplex to see the flick, then you can always order it up at home on VOD. Warner Bros. is one of the few studios to release a flick simultaneously on the big screen and home video.

Fans of AMC’s Breaking Bad will no doubt pay to see Aaron Paul tackle one of his first roles following that show’s finale last year. The actor recently explained that he hopes people can separate his character in Need for Speed from meth dealer Jesse Pinkman.

Paul told Zap2It:

“They’re such polar opposite people. I think that the moment Tobey Marshall comes on-screen, they’re not going to see — or hopefully they’re not going to see — Jesse Pinkman. Jesse was I think struggling to find his way throughout the entire show. He never really had his footing ever, and he never, ever caught a break. Tobey is a very strong man.”

Unfortunately, Need for Speed is contending with a number of harsh reviews. The Inquisitr previously reported that the flick has received a number of negative write-ups from critics ahead of its release.

Are you planning to check out Need for Speed this weekend? Do you think the movie will make enough cash to top the box office?