Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues with the introduction of Eternals [ETRNL]. Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan and Richard Madden lead the cast of superheroes who have secretly lived on earth for thousands of years. Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao has brought her unique vision to the genre, with mixed results. The PG-13 rated film has received poor reviews from critics, becoming the first MCU film to be Rotten on RottenTomatoes. However, Eternals is still eagerly anticipated by fans as presales are pacing ahead of Shang-Chi, which opened to $75.5 million, but behind Black Widow, which debuted at $80.4 million. Eternals should fall within that range and bring in $80 million from 4090 theaters.
After a two week reign, Dune [DUNE] will finish second at around $8 million.
Halloween Kills [HALW4] is poised to cross $90 million with about $5 million in its fourth weekend.
Kristen Stewart stars as Princess Diana in Spencer [SPENC]. Positive reviews and award buzz should attract the arthouse crowd. Pre-pandemic, Neon would have utilized a platform release. Now, Spencer opens wide so it can hit digital sooner. Playing in 966 theaters, Spencer could land $3 million.
Sophomore films Antlers [ANTLR] and Last Night in Soho [LNSOH] are both likely to slide 50% from its debut to around $2.1 million.
Like previous anime sequels, My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission [MHAWH] is likely to tumble at least 70% in its second weekend to $1.9 million.
That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): ETRNL, DUNE, HALW4, SPENC, ANTLR, LNSOH, MHAWH