Check out our box office predictions for the Aug 26-28 weekend below. It joins a long list of recent horror films such as “The Purge: Election Year”, “The Conjuring 2”, “Lights Out”, and “The Shallows” that have all found success with audiences.
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A blind serial killer is about to defeat Batman’s most ruthless villains… at the box office. Critics took a liking to The Conjuring sequel and Lights Out, and Don’t Breathe is no exception. While Southside had the strong Sundance performance and currently holds a 91% rating on RottenTomatoes, Hands of Stone finished production in 2014 and didn’t have its premiere until this year’s Cannes Film Festival where reviews were middling at best as it now holds a meager 40% rating on RottenTomatoes.
Certain to finish first is the well-received SXSW standout Don’t Breathe from director Fede Alvarez who once again teams with producer Sam Raimi, whom he last worked with when he directed the 2013 remake of Raimi’s horror classic Evil Dead.
Screen Gems and Stage 6 Films horror thriller “Don’t Breathe” has gained a huge amount of momentum and is poised to double initial expectations to end the weekend close to $22 million. The film still managed to remain North America’s top-grossing film for three frames in a row.
Despite mixed reviews, Suicide Squad has been holding onto the number one spot for weeks.
“Don’t Breathe” displaced “Suicide Squad” from its perch atop charts. Warner Bros.’ “Suicide Squad” dropped to second place with $12.1 million.
With a budget of less than $10 million, a strong showing this weekend should get the studio all of their money back.
Animated titles have ruled the box office this year, though LAIKA’s latest stop-action title failed to generate much interest over its debut weekend. It’s also 2.2x more than Sinister 2 brought in last August before opening with $10.5 million. Still, the fact remains that most American schools are back in session, something that could put a dent in the family-oriented film’s Friday numbers.
A sequel to The Mechanic opens this week with returning lead Jason Statham in Mechanic: Resurrection. The modern reimagining of The Mechanic didn’t make much of a splash during its run, barely cracking the $29 million domestic mark five years ago. That’s still in line with studio estimates that had it somewhere between $6 million and $8 million.
Weinstein Co’s Hands of Stone, starring Robert de Niro, singer-actor Usher Raymond and Edgar Ramirez, and Southside With You, the Barack and Michelle Obama first date love story starring Tika Sumpter and Parker Sawyers, are both expected to open between US$2 million to US$3 million at the box office. The Weinstein Company countered with the boxing drama “Hands of Stone”, a biopic about Panamanian fighter Roberto Duran, that opened to $1.7 million at 810 locations.
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Hands of Stone is a little more hard to sort out.
