Summer is winding down, which means not much business left for newbies. And overall business looks to fall short of last year which was led by the one-two punch of Crazy Rich Asians and The Meg.
Here's my predicted Top 10:
#1: Angel Has Fallen ($14 million)
The third installment in this R-rated franchise should do enough business to top. The original Olympus Has Fallen earned $30 million in its debut back in 2013, while London Has Fallen managed to earn $22 million in its opening three years ago. This installment probably will decline a bit, but a mid-teens millions opening is pretty much the target for both distributor Lionsgate and most other analysts. For those looking for one more dose of mindless summer action, this should fit the bill for many.
#2: Good Boys ($11 million, -48%)
While overall reception was positive, I don't see this as a movie that will have strong staying power. Many of its core audience came out last week, and word-of-mouth isn't overly-strong at this time. It could prove me wrong again, however and hold better.
#3: Overcomer ($8.5 million)
Sony is hoping the faith-based crowd will come out for the Kendrick Brothers' latest, which will also aim for families. War Room was the surprise hit of summer 2015, earning $11 million in its opening, holding strong through the early Fall months to a $70 million final gross. While the Kendricks have earned more with each film they've made, it would be too optimistic to expect this to repeat that pattern. Buzz and awareness is pretty strong, however, and predicting these films' performances are always tricky. Right now, I'm looking at a couple notches below War Room's opening, but it would still be a very strong number for a low-budget release.
#4: Hobbs and Shaw ($7.5 million, -47%)
With a new action flick in theaters, I'm not expecting this spin-off to hold strong this particular weekend. But it will make up a bit more ground over Labor Day Weekend.
#5: The Lion King ($6.5 million, -45%)
With some kids back in school, plus the family audience spread between three or four movies, this probably won't have a strong hold. But it will still continue to play well.
#6: The Angry Birds Movie 2 ($6.25 million, -41%)
Similar to Lion King, the family audience will be split between different films this week. However, even stronger holding power won't help this animated effort to avoid being a disappointment.
#7: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark ($5.5 million, -46%)
A younger focus will help, but another horror entry this weekend won't help matters for this PG-13 moderate hit.
#8: Dora and the Lost City of Gold ($5 million, -41%)
Same reason as #4 and #5. But, it really should have better holding power to be a real success story for all involved.
#9 (tie): Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ($4.5 million, -41%)
The new releases this weekend won't appeal to this film's audience, which should mean another decent hold here for the Quentin Tarantino hit.
#9 (tie): 47 Meters Down: Uncaged ($4.5 million, -50%)
An overabundance of horror and thriller pics won't help this shark sequel.
Meanwhile, Ready or Not is opening nationwide as well. The R-rated horror pic will be opening in a crowded marketplace and will be watered down from a Wednesday start, so I am predicting it right now to fall short of the Top 10 with a $4 million weekend ($6 million maybe since Wednesday).
