After several weeks of blockbusters in the month of March, the box office should cool down a bit as Beauty and the Beast is likely to dominate the box office for the third weekend in a row.
The film cleared $90.4 million last weekend and has grossed nearly $700 million worldwide at the box office in three weeks. The film riding high on nostalgia and word of mouth that has seen people go back for multiple viewings. The two new releases aren’t strong enough to take down the Beast and I expect a first place finish with about $40 million for weekend three.
Likely finishing in second place this weekend is The Boss Baby which is looking to attract the younger demo who has seen Beauty and the Beast one too many times and is looking to see something new. Based on the award-winning 2010 kids’ book written and illustrated by Marla Frazee, the film follows a suit-and-tie-outfitted toddler — who’s got a secret assignment to ensure that babies remain more lovable than puppies — and talks with all the authority Baldwin brings to a role. The voice cast also includes Jimmy Kimmel and Lisa Kudrow as the baby’s parents, Miles Christopher Bakshi as his older brother and Tobey Maguire as the pic’s narrator. The film isn’t being embraced by critics with a 34% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing but I’m pretty sure this one is review proof, at least for opening weekend. I predict about $30 million for its opening.
Likely finishing third is another new release, The Ghost in the Shell. The film stars Scarlett Johansson as a cyber-enhanced soldier heading a counter-terrorism unit as she tries to uncover her past and is based on the Japanese Manga of the same name. Some think that it could be dogged by the charge of whitewashing that was raised when Johansson was first cast in the lead role two years ago, although other movies like Marvel’s Doctor Strange have withstood similar criticism. The main issue is that it hasn’t generated the necessary hype for it to be a true blockbuster in the states. The film is opening in over 50 international markets and with an $110 million budget, it’s going to need a lot of love from those markets to make an impact. I predict about $25 million this weekend but long term prospects seem a bit iffy at this point.
Power Rangers debuted on the high end of tracking last week and should see a 50% drop in weekend two. That’s not too bad for the $100 million dollar film and when it’s all said and done with international box office factored in, the film should turn out to be a solid start as a new franchise for Lionsgate. I predict about $20 million for weekend two.
Check back on Monday to see the final box office results!
