Box Office Predictions: July 15-17

Blogger’s note – on vacation currently so keeping things shorter and sweeter than normal.

The third weekend of July brings the Ghostbusters (albeit a new team) to theaters for the first time in nearly three decades, as Bryan Cranston’s crime drama The Infiltrator opens Wednesday. You can find my detailed prediction posts on each here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2016/07/06/ghostbusters-box-office-prediction/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2016/07/06/the-infiltrator-box-office-prediction/

Ghostbusters may fall short of the #1 spot, based on my projection if The Secret Life of Pets falls just over in the 40s after its massive debut (more on that below).

That should leave Tarzan and Dory fighting it out for the three spot with Mike, Dave and their wedding dates rounding out the top five. My projection for The Infiltrator ($4.6 million Friday to Sunday and $6.1M from Wednesday to Sunday) leaves it outside the high five.

With that – my predicted top 5:

1. The Secret Life of Pets

Predicted Gross: $57.6 million

2. Ghostbusters

Predicted Gross: $47.3 million

3. Finding Dory

Predicted Gross: $11.2 million

4. The Legend of Tarzan

Predicted Gross: $11.1 million

5. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Predicted Gross: $8.9 million

BOX OFFICE RESULTS (JULY 8-10)

The Secret Life of Pets smashed projections this weekend with $104.3 million – lapping my $73.7M estimate. That’s good for the sixth highest animated debut ever and what’ll surely be a new franchise.

The Legend of Tarzan stayed in second with $21 million (just above my $19.8M prediction) for a two week tally of $81M. Finding Dory slipped to third after three weeks on top with $20.8 million (a touch under my $23.3M forecast) for a $423M overall haul.

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates had a pleasing debut in fourth with $16.6 million, ahead of my prediction of $13.5M.

The Purge: Election Year was fifth with $12.3 million (I said $10.9M) for a ten day total of $58M. Central Intelligence was sixth with $8 million and I incorrectly had outside the top 6. That’s because Steven Spielberg’s The BFG continued its lackluster grosses and dropped further than I anticipated. It was seventh in weekend 2 with $7.8 million – under my $10.6M estimate for a gross of just $38M.

And that’s for now, friends! Until next time…