For the third year in a row, Disney kicks off the summer movie season with Marvel as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 [GOTG2] storms the weekend as its lone wide opener. Last year, Captain America: Civil War debuted with $179.1 million while Avengers: Age of Ultron bowed to $191.3 million in 2015. The first Guardians of the Galaxy opened with $94.3 million in August of 2014 and legged out a fantastic $333.2 million. Moviegoers have been eagerly awaiting the return of Star-Lord and his compadres especially the fan favorite Groot, now reduced to baby size. Reactions to the trailers have been strong. Reviews are positive and noted that fans will enjoy the sequel despite the lack of a story. Interestingly, advance ticket sales are pacing ahead of Avengers: Age of Ultron, but not Captain America: Civil War. Playing in 4347 theaters, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 could blast off with $161 million.
The Fate of the Furious [FAST8] looks to cross the $200 million marker during its fourth weekend with another $9 million.
How to Be a Latin Lover [HTBLL] broke out last week with the support of Latino moviegoers. The comedy should hold 55% of its opening weekend at about $7 million.
With terrible word of mouth, The Circle [CIRCL] will likely to tumble 60% in its second weekend to $3.5 million.
That’s the whisper on the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): GOTG2, FAST8, HTBLL, CIRCL