A couple of new wide releases challenge the box office champion Beauty and the Beast [BTATB], but second place is the best either could hope for. A third weekend drop similar to the second weekend would be around $46 million, which will be enough to keep Beauty and the Beast at the top of the chart.
Alec Baldwin [ABALD] voices The Boss Baby [BOSSB] from DreamWorks Animation. With its imitation of Toy Story and The Secret Life of Pets, the PG-rated film should attract a broad audience beyond families with small kids. Reviews are trending negative, but that didn’t stop Home from debuting at $52 million two years ago. The Boss Baby is unlikely to breakout though, as there hasn’t been any presales comparison with previous works from DreamWorks Animation. Playing in 3773 theaters, The Boss Baby may crawl away with $33 million.
The seminal Japanese anime property Ghost in the Shell [GSHEL] finally gets the live-action treatment. However, the casting of Scarlett Johansson [SJOHA] in whitewashing the lead role has brought on negative publicity. Paramount has tried to change the conversation with footages showing off amazing visual effects. The PG-13 rated film should be a must-see for any sci-fi fans. Positive reviews will help bring in older men who saw the original anime classic. Ghost in the Shell could hack $30 million from 3440 locations.
Power Rangers [MMPR] opened better than expected, but is likely to have been frontloaded by nostalgic fans. Power Rangers looks to drop more than 50% to $19 million.
Focus Features targets older women with The Zookeeper’s Wife [ZKPWF] starring Jessica Chastain [JCHAS]. The WWII drama may tally $1 million from a moderate release of 474 theaters.
That’s the whisper on the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): BTATB, ABALD, BOSSB, GSHEL, SJOHA, MMPR, ZKPWF, JCHAS