‘Megamind’ is expected to stand out in a diverse crop of new films

There should be something for everyone this weekend at the multiplex as a new family animated film, a male-targeted comedy and a female-oriented drama from director Tyler Perry all have big expectations.

If the movie industry gets its wish, it could be the biggest opening weekend ever for a November.

“Megamind,” “Due Date” and “For Colored Girls” are all generating strong pre-release interest among their intended audiences.

That’s giving some Hollywood executives hope that total receipts could beat the previous record for the first weekend in November — $154 million in 2003 when “The Matrix Revolutions” and “Elf” premiered.

“Megamind,” the latest 3-D animated film from DreamWorks Animation, is expected to top the box office with ticket sales of about $50 million. That’s in the midrange for recent non-sequels from the Glendale animation studio. “How to Train Your Dragon” opened to $43.7 million in March, and “Monsters vs. Aliens” took in $59.3 million on its first weekend in 2009.

With its super-villain-turned-hero storyline, “Megamind” is expected to appeal most to boys. DreamWorks and its distribution partner, Paramount Pictures, are hoping that the audience will extend beyond young boys to tweens and possibly even teenage boys.

However, as with all of DreamWorks’ movies, the opening weekend in the U.S. won’t be as important as how the movie holds up in coming weeks and how it performs overseas.

The well-received “Dragon,” for instance, ultimately grossed $217.6 million, almost five times its opening weekend take.

For “Megamind” to get to $200 million, however, it would have to survive the expected blockbuster premiere of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” in two weeks, after which it might enjoy a good Thanksgiving weekend among families.

Overseas, “Megamind” got off to a solid start in Russia last weekend, where it took in $7.3 million. The best performing DreamWorks Animation films often gross significantly more internationally than domestically.

Warner Bros. is hoping for a little bit of magic from last year’s hit, “The Hangover,” to rub off on “Due Date,” which like that film is directed by Todd Phillips and co-stars Zach Galifianakis. It stars Robert Downey Jr. Although a “Hangover”-size opening of $45 million is unlikely, surveys indicate it could enjoy a strong start of about $35 million.

The movie is relatively expensive for a comedy, with a budget of about $65 million split between Legendary Pictures with Warner. That means it needs not only a good opening but strong word-of-mouth to keep performing well after this weekend.

“For Colored Girls,” which is based on the popular and frequently reprised 1975 play by Ntozake Shange, is generating enormous interest among Perry’s core audience of African American women, with some interest from Latinas as well.

This is the first of Perry’s movies not based on his own script, and it marks his highest-profile cast, which includes Whoopi Goldberg and Janet Jackson.

Surveys indicate it should be a strong opening for a Perry film that doesn’t feature his signature character, Madea, with weekend ticket sales of about $25 million.

That should make it another successful Perry film for independent studio Lionsgate, which spent $21 million on production.

ben.fritz@latimes.com