The summer of sequels continues as three more enter the box office fray. Leading the way is Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again [MAMI2], which arrives exactly 10 years after Mamma Mia! opened with $27.8 million in 2008 and legged out $144.1 million. While the first ABBA-inspired film was adapted from a stage musical, the sequel was written for the screen and also serves as a prequel. Meryl Streep [MSTREE] returns as Donna, who has evidently passed away, since her friends are reminiscing about her past with her daughter Sophie, played by Amanda Seyfried [ASEYF]. Lily James [LJAME] plays Donna as a young woman being romanced in Greece by the three suitors that would become Sophie’s potential fathers. Not satisfy with just ABBA fans, Universal cast Cher as Sophie’s grandmother to widen the berth of older female target audience. Dancing into 3317 theaters, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again may hit $34 million.
Denzel Washington [DWASH] reprises a role for the first time in The Equalizer 2 [EQLZ2]. Based on a ‘80s TV series, The Equalizer debuted September 2014 at $34.1 million. The sequel finds the retired CIA-agent Robert McCall turned Lyft driver before the death of a friend/former colleague forces him to turn vigilante again. Sony targets older men for the R-rated action thriller, though reviews are trending negative. The Equalizer 2 may settle for $30 million from 3388 locations.
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation [HTRN3] will be the first choice for families with children. The second Hotel Transylvania held 69% in September 2015. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation may be able to hold around 65% of its opening for $28 million.
Ant-Man and the Wasp [ANTM2] is likely to drop 50% in its third outing to $15 million.
Moviegoers may be suffering from Dwayne Johnson fatigue, or Skyscraper [SKYSC] proved to be too derivative even for an original film. Skyscraper looks to fall 55% to about $11.5 million.
The weekend’s third new sequel is Unfriended: Dark Web [UNFR2]. The first Unfriended surprised with a $15.8 million debut in April 2015, so Blumhouse produced a sequel in title only with a new story and different cast. The R-rated found footage thriller supposedly will screen two different versions with different endings. Opening in 1543 theaters, Unfriended: Dark Web may uncover $7 million.
That’s the whisper on the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): MAMI2, ASEYF, LJAME, DWASH, EQLZ2, HTRN3, ANTM2, SKYSC, UNFR2