Joker has enjoyed two very successful weekends at the top of the box office heap but Disney is about to dethrone the Crown Prince of Crime with the release of their sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
Back in 2014, Maleficent really kicked off the live-action adaptation craze for Disney. The film was an offshoot of sorts of Sleeping Beauty and it was able to tap into something the target audience wanted at that time. Angelina Jolie, playing the title role, was in her element playing the part and her devilish charm likely had a lot to do with the film’s success. Critics were mixed (53% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes) but moviegoers liked what they saw which lead to a $69.2 million opening during the final weekend of May and a global take of $758.4 million ($241.4 million on the domestic front).
Disney seems to have great faith in the sequel because it was originally slated for release over Memorial Day next year but it was pushed up to its current release date. When movies are pushed back, there is cause for concern but when they’re moved, it means they think they have a hit on their hands and don’t want to wait for the cash cow to arrive. Reviews for Maleficent 2 are lower as of this writing (43% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes) but sub-par reviews didn’t hurt the first film and I doubt they will here. The appeal here is the cast and magical visuals, both of which are praised even in reviews that graded it poorly due to its narrative issues. Some movies are critic-proof and I think this is going to be one of them this weekend. I doubt it opens as high as the first film because that movie benefitted from opening as summer was upon us but I do think a $50 million opening is in play and it’s bound to be a huge international player moving forward.
In a great case of counterprogramming, we also have Zombieland: Double Tap, a sequel to the decade-in-the-waiting Sony sequel directed by Ruben Fleischer. The gang is back for this one with Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, and Abigail Breslin all returning for the followup to the 2009 original. Zombieland came a bit out of nowhere, earning a 90% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes as it was on its way to true cult status in the process. The film opened to $24.7 million and displayed enough legs to make $75.6 million at the domestic box office and $102.3 million worldwide, all on a $24 million budget. The sequel isn’t as fresh as the original (69% this time around) but I think fans will want to see this long-awaited reunion. Having seen the film ahead of writing my predictions, I can tell you that the film is very fun and I had a nearly sold-out crowd at my screening so it bodes well that the film will at least match the $25 million it’s tracking at. I’m going to go a few notches above that and say Zombieland: Double Tap opens to about $28-30 million this weekend.
