“Zootopia 2” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” will battle for No. 1 in North America in what’ll otherwise be a quiet weekend at the movies. That’s because the only newcomer, Disney’s political dramedy “Ella McCay,” isn’t in danger of nearing the top of the box office charts.
Disney’s animated juggernaut “Zootopia 2” is projected to return to first place with $24 million to $26 million in its third weekend of release, a roughly 40% decline. The family film has grossed $223 million domestically and $936 million globally to date and will imminently become this year’s second film to cross the coveted $1 billion mark.
Meanwhile, Universal and Blumhouse’s “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” is targeting a similar range of $1…
“Zootopia 2” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” will battle for No. 1 in North America in what’ll otherwise be a quiet weekend at the movies. That’s because the only newcomer, Disney’s political dramedy “Ella McCay,” isn’t in danger of nearing the top of the box office charts.
Disney’s animated juggernaut “Zootopia 2” is projected to return to first place with $24 million to $26 million in its third weekend of release, a roughly 40% decline. The family film has grossed $223 million domestically and $936 million globally to date and will imminently become this year’s second film to cross the coveted $1 billion mark.
Meanwhile, Universal and Blumhouse’s “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” is targeting a similar range of $18 million to $22 million after topping the box office last weekend with a scary-good $64 million. If the original “Five Nights at Freddy’s” — which cratered by 76.2% in its second weekend — is any indication, the sequel could endure a steep fall in its sophomore outing. However, the first “Five Nights” had such a dramatic fall in part because the video game adaptation was simultaneously offered on streaming. The follow-up film is only playing in theaters, which should help in terms of staying power.
“Ella McCay” is aiming for $4 million or less from 2,5000 theaters in its debut. The feel-good film is the kind of mid-budget offering that studios hardly make anymore because audiences don’t show up to see them. James L. Brooks, “The Simpsons” co-creator and Oscar winner of “As Good as It Gets” and “Broadcast News,” wrote and directed the comedic drama about a young politician (Emma Mackey) who becomes her state’s governor and struggles to balance her career with her family life. The film carries a $35 million production budget.
This weekend is the calm before the holiday box office storm. Cinemas will get a major boost from James Cameron’s epic “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” as well as Paramount’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” and Lionsgate thriller “The Housemaid” on Dec. 19. Then, A24 and Timothée Chalamet’s ping-pong adventure “Marty Supreme,” the Focus Features musical drama “Song Sung Blue” starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, and Sony’s disaster comedy “Anaconda” with Jack Black and Paul Rudd will close out the year.