After a record-low October at the North American box office, a war is brewing this weekend as Predator: Badlands attempts fend off competition from new releases The Running Man and Now You See Me: Now You Don't.
Variety (via SFFGazette.com) reveals that current projections suggest both movies are targeting debuts of $20 million - $25 million. With an expected 50% drop, the latest Predator movie should end up somewhere in the $18 million - $20 million range. So, if The Running Man and Now You See Me: Now You Don't fall short of expectations, then Badlands could stay at #1 for a second weekend in a row.
The Running Man has 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, while the third Now You See Me movie sits at 60%. In comparison, Predator: Badlands has 85%, suggesting positive word of mouth for that will play a role in what happens over the coming days.
Edgar Wright's latest movie is expected to test the box office bankability of Glen Powell as a leading man. With a projected $20+ million start, The Running Man has its work cut out when it comes to earning back its hefty $110 million price tag.
We don't know what the budget is for Now You See Me: Now You Don't, but the previous movies have performed well at the box office, even with "Rotten" scores on the review aggregator. The first movie grossed $350 million, while the sequel earned $334 million.
Predator: Badlands, which stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, is set in the future on a remote planet, where a young Predator (Schuster-Koloamatangi), outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
The Running Man takes place in a near-future society, where "The Running Man" is the top-rated show on television—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward.
In Now You See Me: Now You Don't, The Four Horsemen return along with a new generation of illusionists performing mind-melding twists, turns, surprises, and magic unlike anything ever captured on film.
What will you be watching in theaters this weekend?