A couple of sequels play the box office game of throne with Maleficent: Mistress of Evil [MALF2] likely to emerge victorious with the crown. A live-action remake of Disney’s animated Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent opened May 2014 to $69.4 million and legged out $241.4 million. Looking to grab more money, Disney fashioned a sequel from a new story not based on any fairy tale. Angelina Jolie returns as the titular villain while Michelle Pfeiffer joins the cast as a rival queen. When Universal produced an unnecessary Huntsman sequel to their Snow White, it opened at less than 50% of the first film. While the drop-off may not be as severe, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil faces a similar decay. Mixed reviews will dissuade the undecided moviegoer. Taking off in 3790 theaters, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil could collect $43 million.
Holding better than anyone expected, Joker [JOKER] should draw a third weekend around $30 million.
In took ten years for Sony to reunite the cast of Woody Harrelson, Jessie Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin for Zombieland: Double Tap [ZMBL2]. The original Zombieland debuted at $24.7 million and became a cult favorite. Reviews for the R-rated horror comedy sequel are generally positive, but too many years may have passed to bring back anyone but hardcore fans. Zombieland: Double Tap could hit $24 million from 3468 theaters.
The Addams Family [ADDAM] hopes to hold 56% of its opening weekend for a sophomore session at about $17 million. On the other hand, poorly reviewed Gemini Man [GEMAN] could drop 55% in its second weekend to $9 million.
That’s the whisper on the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): MALF2, JOKER, ZMBL2, ADDAM, GEMAN