Here's the predicted Top 10:
#1: Suicide Squad ($50 million, -63%)
#2: Pete's Dragon ($34 million)
#3: Sausage Party ($20 million)
#4: Jason Bourne ($14 million, -38%)
#5: Bad Moms ($9.5 million, -32%)
#6: Florence Foster Jenkins ($9 million)
#7: The Secret Life of Pets ($6.5 million, -44%)
#8: Star Trek Beyond ($6 million, -40%)
#9: Lights Out ($3.5 million, -42%)
#10: Nine Lives ($3 million, -52%)
The summer box office is starting to slow down, though there could be room for one more major hit. Disney unleashes their low-key remake of Pete's Dragon. Despite this summer being a crowded field for family films (kids and parents have only really spent money on Finding Dory and Secret Life of Pets this summer), Dragon could overperform thanks to surprisingly strong critical reception (85% on Rotten Tomatoes). But, buzz has been muted. We'll have to see.
Sausage Party is a rarity in itself, an R-rated animated film. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg teamed up to make this production possible, which carries a curious enough distinction to bring in young adults. I'm not sure if the risky subject matter will work outside of that, though strong early reviews (92% on Rotten Tomatoes) will work very much in its favor. A strong voice cast consisting of Rogen, Kristen Wiig, and others will help also.
Florence Foster Jenkins arrives this weekend as an early awards contender with Meryl Streep starring. The singer drama is earning early raves from critics (91% on Rotten Tomatoes) and could very well prove to be a sleeper. But this would also mean, like other films aiming at older crowds, that the opening probably won't be very impressive on first glance.
Most eyes will be on how Suicide Squad will fare in its second weekend after dropping heavily Friday to Saturday and earning a decent, but not fantastic "B+" CinemaScore. I'm going to say the film will hold a little better than Batman v. Superman, but will still plummet above 60%. That would still give it more than enough to remain on top.
Most other holdovers will hold better this weekend thanks to the newcomers not really posing much of a threat. If anything, Pete's Dragon will give Secret Life of Pets and Nine Lives somewhat of a hard time. But Bad Moms should continue to hold on strong, and Jason Bourne and Star Trek Beyond will get a break this weekend. Finally, horror flick Lights Out should continue to play well thanks to no additional competition.
