Romantic-flick 'The Vow', starring Rachel McAdams as the wife of Channing Tatum's character who awakes from a coma with no memory of their life together, is expected to clean up at the box-office this weekend. Looking to pull in the romantic cinemagoers with Valentine's Day around the corner, the movie is on-course for a $30 million opening, reports The Wrap.

The Vow has been slaughtered by the critics, with most of the vitriol directed at the action-star Tatum. Henry Barnes of the UK's Guardian newspaper commented, "Channing Tatum is terribly miscast as an arty husband who tries to help his amnesiac wife remember their blissful time together". USA Today highlighted the film's sappy cliches, though renowned critic Roger Ebert was probably on the same wave-length as movie bosses, saying, "It's pleasant enough as a date movie, but that's all". Though the film is expected to open at No. 1 on the North American box-office, it does face competition from a couple of big-budget alternatives. Firstly, 'Safe House' should pull in cinemagoers with its big name cast, including Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, while the 3D version of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace' will obviously draw a specific crowd. Elsewhere, 'Journey 2: The Mysterious Island' starring Dwayne Johnson will pull in the family crowds.

However, this weekend looks to be all about 'The Vow', and research firm NRG suggests 69 per cent of women younger than 25 and 49 per cent of women over 25 have "definite" interest in watching the movie.