Flick Face-Off: Incredible Hulk vs the Happening

For the weekend of 6/13/08 -I have a pretty good feeling that this week will be easy to call. Just look at the picture. Who looks more scared to you? Of course, both of these movies are coming off past defeats. The last Hulk movie is widely reviled by fans and the general public for not being a true Hulk movie in the “HULK SMASH!” tradition, opting instead for existential wandering and weak foes. And M Night Shyamalan can’t seem to break the “lame twist guy” reputation he’s earned in recent years, since none of his movies have ever lived up to his debut, The Sixth Sense (although I do think Unbreakable is a superior offering).

Both of these films have the potential to overcome the ghosts of their pasts with Hulk gaining a strong villain and some meaty action while the Happening getting an R rating that’s almost guaranteed to make us squirm more than we ever have since little Hayley first saw dead people.

But no matter how good or bad the films are, this weekend goes to the Hulk. Hulk will smash big time. Iron Man has given this film a strong lead-in, making people not so afraid of a potential Catwoman or Ghost Rider movie. The Happening will still draw big, based mostly on everyone wanting to know, well… just what the hell is happening! In the end, it’s Hulk drawing a solid $85 million with the Happening pulling in about $50 million. That’s a lot of tickets to sell, but this weekend could surprise a lot of people.

(And yes, I under-estimated last week’s Panda draw, but I did get the top two right, although I didn’t see Sex and the City dropping all the way to 4th, giving Indy back a bit of his dignity…)