Overall business will lag far behind the same weekend last year, which was when Jurassic World broke records.
Here is the projected Top 10:
#1: The Conjuring 2 ($36 million)
#2: Warcraft ($24 million)
#3: Now You See Me 2 ($22 million)
#4: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows ($18 million, -49%)
#5: X-Men: Apocalypse ($12 million, -47%)
#6: Me Before You ($11 million, -41%)
#7: The Angry Birds Movie ($6.5 million, -36%)
Alice Through the Looking Glass ($6.5 million, -43%)
#9: Captain America: Civil War ($4 million, -49%)
#10: Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising ($3 million, -39%)
Sequels continue to rain down in theaters, and its once again going to be mixed results for pretty much all of them. Standing the best chance is a sequel to a movie that was really liked by both critics and audiences, The Conjuring (2). The first Conjuring had a strong $42 million debut and held much better than horror typically does, going on to finish with $135 million stateside and $320 million worldwide. Horror really hasn't had any real major success stories this year, and buzz has been strong enough that it could certainly come close to its predecessor. Reviews are OK too (65% on Rotten Tomatoes so far).
Warcraft is hoping to pull in the fanbase of the popular video game, but the Universal production has struggled to build significant buzz. And with the strong amount of CGI and tentpole options in theaters, its going to be hard for it to really get general audiences interested. Overseas numbers, however, have been spectacular, as China opened to record numbers yesterday. So, even if it turns out to only hit the muted expectations its' given, that might not be a major issue after all.
Now You See Me 2 is following 3 years after the first film was a surprise hit, earning $120 million stateside and $350 million worldwide. Despite a heavy marketing effort, I'm not sure if this sequel can live up to the first film. Reviews are mixed (40% on Rotten Tomatoes), and buzz isn't so spectacular. Look for a small drop-off from the first movie's $30 million start.
With competition from Warcraft, last week's topper Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows will probably lose a lot of steam this weekend. Same goes for X-Men: Apocalypse and Captain America: Civil War. PG-rated films such as The Angry Birds Movie and Alice Through the Looking Glass should hold a bit better, and no R-rated comedy competition will help Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising. Finally, Me Before You may or may not hold well dependent if the "A" CinemaScore or the controversial boycott of the film will wind up the prevailing word-of-mouth.
