Kevin Hart and Ice Cube stake out box office with ‘Ride Along’

Kevin Hart and Ice Cube could book a victory at movie theaters this weekend as their new buddy cop comedy “Ride Along� takes aim at last week’s victor “Lone Survivor� and the new contender “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.�

The $25-million “Ride Along,� from Universal Pictures, marks the first leading role for comedian Hart, who plays a video game-obsessed security guard trying to impress his girlfriend’s brother, a rule-bending Atlanta detective played by Cube.

The new movie could gross $38 million to $40 million in ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada through Monday, likely making it the No. 1 film over the four-day Martin Luther King Day weekend, according to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys.

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Universal is projecting a more conservative, but still strong, $30 million. That would put “Ride Along� on par with the studio’s two most recent Martin Luther King Day weekend debuts, last year’s “Mama� and 2012’s “Contraband.�

“Ride Along� is the latest movie from director Tim Story, whose previous effort, the 2012 comedy “Think Like a Man,� also featured Hart and grossed $91.5 million over its domestic life span.

Hart displayed his considerable draw with the stand-up comedy concert film “Let Me Explain,� which grossed more than $32 million this summer, a strong result for the genre. “Ride Along� should do especially well with African American moviegoers, though it is expected to have appeal beyond that demographic.

Universal’s “Lone Survivor,� which posted a wide opening gross of $37.8 million last weekend, will probably take second place.

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Paramount Pictures is releasing “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,� which could bring in $18 million from the four-day weekend. Co-financed by Paramount and Skydance, it cost $60 million to make. Chris Pine stars as Jack Ryan, the character created by the late author Tom Clancy, after helping to reboot the “Star Trek� franchise in the role of James T. Kirk.

It’s the first movie with the character of Ryan since 2002’s “Sum of All Fears,� starring Ben Affleck. Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford have also played the Clancy hero in early movie versions.

In “Shadow Recruit,� directed by Kenneth Branagh, the Ryan character graduates from CIA analyst to full-on agent in the face of a terrorist threat. It also stars Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner and Branagh.

“The Nut Job,� a 3-D animated heist comedy distributed in the U.S. by Open Road Films, could gross about $12 million through Monday. The production from Gulfstream Pictures, Red Rover International and ToonBox Entertainment cost roughly $30 million to make, factoring in tax credits.

Featuring the voices of celebrities including Will Arnett, Brendan Fraser, Gabriel Iglesias, Liam Neeson and Katherine Heigl, “The Nut Job� still faces competition from Disney’s Hans Christian Andersen-inspired musical “Frozen,� which has boasted a stellar run and generated nearly $15 million last weekend for a cumulative domestic total of nearly $320 million as of Wednesday.

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Also launching this weekend is “Devil’s Due,� 20th Century Fox’s low-budget screamer about a newlywed couple whose unexpected pregnancy turns out to have evil origins. The $7-million horror film is likely to gross $7 million to $10 million through Monday.

The Academy Award nominations Thursday could boost some films currently in wide release, including “American Hustle� and “The Wolf of Wall Street,� as well as some nominees in limited release, such as “Philomena� and “Dallas Buyers Club.� Several best picture contenders, including “12 Years a Slave� and “Gravity,� are being re-released across the nation to capitalize on the awards buzz.

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