As August continues, business continues to slow. That being said, overall business should remain ahead of last year, which was led by the strong debut of Annabelle: Creation.
Here is the projected Top 10:
#1: Mission: Impossible - Fallout ($21 million, -40%)
I'm tempted to have this slide to second, but thanks to research, I now have a little more confidence this will probably stay at #1 thanks to the astounding word-of-mouth.
#2: The Meg ($18 million)
This is a tough one to predict. Shark movies aren't frequent swimmers in the box office arena. Buzz has been pretty quiet, which lowers my expectations here. That being said, with audiences starting to cool down from summer releases, I just don't see this performing very well. Of course, I could be wrong and the strong marketing could hook in mainstream audiences. But, I'm not expecting much.
#3: Christopher Robin ($15 million, -40%)
While there's no real added competition here, the idea that this isn't playing like a typical family film (especially considering how front-loaded the opening weekend was) does keep its' chances at holding well in check. But the Disney film should have a decent sophomore weekend.
#4: Slender Man ($13.5 million)
The long-gestating horror project has been tracking decently heading into its' release. The lack of any real horror competition will also help tremendously. Distributor Sony had a major horror hit a few years ago with the horror flick Don't Breathe. I'm not expecting similar results here. But these films usually have low budgets, so an opening like this would still be very good by all means.
#5: The Spy Who Dumped Me ($7.5 million, -40%)
The lack of any added competition for its female audience should result in a decent second weekend hold for the spy comedy.
#6: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ($6.5 million, -29%)
Look for the musical sequel to continue benefiting from pulling in older audiences.
#7: Dog Days ($5.5 million, $7.5 million since Wednesday)
This PG-rated drama looks to pull in pet lovers and families. But it has flown under the radar mostly, with not much awareness or buzz. I could see some older audiences and families coming out to see it, but it will probably get lost a little in the midst of all the more familiar competition. No real bankable names in the cast won't help either.
#8 (tie): Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation ($5 million, -39%)
The threequel should continue to level off nicely as summer vacation continues for most kids.
#8 (tie): The Equalizer 2 ($5 million, -43%)
Males will have a new option with The Meg, but Denzel should continue to play solidly with his action sequel pulling in solid word-of-mouth.
#10: BlacKkKlansman ($4.5 million)
Originally slated to be an independent release, Spike Lee's latest earned a nationwide release after receiving rave reviews (96% on Rotten Tomatoes). The crime drama is also an early awards season contender, which might boost its chances also.
