'Conan' may not conquer 'The Help'

Conan' may not conquer 'The Help' Conan the Barbarian," a reworking of the 1982 film that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, is hoping to vanquish the competition at the box office this weekend. But even the sword-wielding brute may not have enough strength to conquer "The Help.Ever since its release more than a week ago, the adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's bestselling novel about civil rights in 1960s Mississippi has been exceeding industry expectations at the box office. Audiences who saw the film last week gave it a perfect grade of A+, according to market research firm CinemaScore, and that positive word of mouth was reflected in the picture's midweek grosses.
Since Monday, "Help" has collected about $12 million, bringing its total to $47.8 million -- an indication that the film will see only a modest decline in ticket sales this weekend. Disney, which is distributing the movie, is hoping it will collect at least an additional $18 million.
But the new 3-D "Conan" film, which stars big-screen newcomer Jason Momoa, still has a shot at claiming the weekend's No. 1 spot. According to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys, the movie will probably gross $15 million to $18 million. That should be enough to beat out the weekend's other three new films in wide release.