Chris
After a remarkably slow few weeks, the box office is about to get a shot in the arm with not one but three big-budget studio releases hitting theaters this weekend. This is just in time for Valentine’s Day, which coincides with Presidents’ Day this year. The three films each target a different demo and are expected to perform well.
The first is Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights. Starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, this is one of the most anticipated movies of the year for some, although reviews have been all over the place—some love it, some hate it. I was mixed-to-positive in my review (read it here), but I think audiences are still going to turn out in droves to see it. I’m expecting it to make $40 million.
Sony Animation’s GOAT, which features the voice of Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin (check out our interview with him here), is also opening and should perform well, as family audiences have been underserved lately. That’s why Zootopia 2, which opened months ago, is still kicking around the top 10. GOAT should easily crack the $30 million mark.
Third place should go to Amazon/MGM’s Crime 101, starring Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, and Mark Ruffalo. Crime dramas are hit or miss at the box office, but I’m hoping this Michael Mann–style movie (based on the novella by Don Winslow) does well. I expect about $12 million or so.
The Liam Neeson– and Joe Keery–led Cold Storage should be able to crack the top five with about $7 million. Gore Verbinski’s Good Luck, Send Help, Don’t Die (which we loved) is also opening, but I’m not sure it has the box office buildup to make the top five. Instead, I expect Sam Raimi’s sleeper hit, Send Help, to take fourth place with about $6 million.
Here are my predictions:
- Wuthering Heights: $40 million
- GOAT: $30 million
- Crime 101: $12 million
- Cold Storage: $7 million
- Send Help: $6 million
What are you seeing this weekend? Let us know in the comments!
