In what is bound is to be the biggest box office weekend so far in the COVID-19 era, the Memorial Day frame marks the unofficial kickoff of the summer season at multiplexes. There are two genuinely high-profile debuts with John Krasinski’s horror sequel A Quiet Place Part II with Emily Blunt and Disney’s live-action remake Cruella with Emma Stone in the title role. My detailed prediction posts on the pair can be found here:
https://toddmthatcher.com/2020/03/11/a-quiet-place-part-ii-box-office-prediction/
https://toddmthatcher.com/2021/05/19/cruella-box-office-prediction/
As I have said a lot recently, we are in unfamiliar territory. This is the first time in a long time where we have two major releases out in the same holiday weekend. Just as entities are opening up everywhere, the same can be said for theaters. I believe AQPII can top $40 million over its four day premiere with Cruella managing low to mid 20s. There is the lingering suspicion that either or both can outdo my estimates.
The rest of the top five will be filled with holdovers and they may experience smallish declines given the holiday. And with that, my top 5 projections from Friday to Monday for a weekend that Hollywood has been eagerly anticipating:
1. A Quiet Place Part II
Predicted Gross: $43.6 million
2. Cruella
Predicted Gross: $22.7 million
3. Spiral
Predicted Gross: $3.2 million
4. Wrath of Man
Predicted Gross: $2.4 million
5. Raya and the Last Dragon
Predicted Gross: $1.6 million
Box Office Results (May 14-16)
As anticipated, it was the calm before the potential storming back of big grosses over this past frame. Spiral repeated at #1 in its sophomore outing with $4.5 million. It held up rather well for its genre ahead of my $4 million prediction. The overall gross for the gross out Saw sequel is $15 million.
Jason Statham’s Wrath of Man remained in second with $2.9 million. My estimate? $2.9 million! Total is $18 million.
Third place belonged to Angelina Jolie’s Those Who Wish Me Dead at $1.9 million compared to my $1.7 million take. The two week tally is $5 million.
Raya and the Last Dragon was fourth with $1.6 million, just under my projection of $1.7 million for $48 million.
Godzilla vs. Kong rounded out the top five with $1.4 million. I incorrectly had it outside my top five. At $96 million, the monster mash is inching ever so close to becoming the first $100 million domestic earner in the COVID era.
Finally, Demon Slayer was sixth at $1.3 million (which was my estimate) and it’s at $43 million overall.
And that’s all for now, folks! Until next time…
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