A trio of new releases step up to the plate, but the box office winner will be between two villainous holdovers. Joker [JOKER] looks to continue its strong hold and push its pot across $275 million with a fourth weekend around $17 million, which should be enough to take first place.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil [MALF2] debuted like a sequel no one asked for. A 57% drop in its second weekend would put Maleficent: Mistress of Evil at about $16 million.
Another sequel Zombieland: Double Tap [ZMBL2] is likely to be frontloaded as well. Zombieland: Double Tap could lose 55% of its opening to $12 million.
STX targets horror fans with The Countdown [CTDWN] about a killer phone app. Young females should make up the biggest demographic for the PG-13 rated, high-concept film. The Countdown could gross $9 million from 2675 theaters.
Naomie Harris and Tyrese Gibson star in the R-rated thriller Black and Blue [BLABL]. Sony is counting on African-American moviegoers to turn out in urban markets. Playing in 2052 theaters, Black and Blue could rake in $8 million.
The Current War: The Director’s Cut [CURNT] finally arrives in theaters after premiering to poor reviews at the 2017 Toronto Film Festival. New distributor 101 Studios recut and retitled the PG-13 rated film after acquiring it from the shuttered Weinstein Co.. With little marketing, The Current War: The Director’s Cut may zap just $2.5 million from 1022 theaters.
A24 expands The Lighthouse [LITHS] to 586 theaters after a week of limited release. The black-n-white horror could uncover $2 million.
That’s the whisper on the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): JOKER, MALF2, ZMBL2, CTDWN, BLABL, CURNT, LITHS