THE MARKET: “The Express” goes into wide release on Friday, October 10, 2008. How much will it gross in its opening weekend as first reported by Variety on October 13? Each dollar of the share price represents millions of dollars in sales. Shares bought at $45, for example, would be worth $78 if the movie grosses $78 million. Trading closes on October 10 at 9 a.m. ET.

THE DATA: “The Express” is a sports biopic in the “Glory Road” ($13.6 million) and “Remember the Titans” ($20.9 million) mold.

OUR TAKE: If you’re old enough to remember the sports tearjerker “Brian’s Song” (retro TV fans will love that reference), then “The Express” is its modern-day equivalent. The film tells the story of Ernie Davis, the first black man to win college football’s Heisman Trophy, only to die two years later of leukemia. Certainly autumn is the right time of year, and the film looks solid, but sports films have trouble attracting the mainstream. Expect a middling debut in the low teens.

LEARN MORE:
See the “The Express” home page.


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