Month: May 2026

Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) Box Office Prediction

Songstress Billie Eilish and her sibling/producing partner Finneas O’Connell team with a rather well-known auteur for her latest concert feature when the generously titled Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) hits multiplexes on May 8th. Said director is James Cameron, taking a break from his Avatar pics in a somewhat unexpected venture (though he’s certainly familiar with 3D).

Expectations for two-time Best Song Oscar winner Eilish are obviously less than Taylor Swift’s Eras movie. The unlikely best case scenario might be the $21 million start achieved by Beyoncé’s Renaissance experience. I’m skeptical. I think it falls under double digits.

Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) opening weekend prediction: $8.3 million

For my Mortal Kombat II prediction, click here:

Mortal Kombat II Box Office Prediction

For my The Sheep Detectives prediction, click here:

The Sheep Detectives Box Office Prediction

The Sheep Detectives Box Office Prediction

Will audiences flock to The Sheep Detectives on May 8th? Amazon MGM hopes so with the family friendly tale based on a 2005 Leonie Swann novel. Mixing mystery with comedy, Hugh Jackman leads the human cast alongside Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, and Emma Thompson. Voicing the crime solving title creatures are Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, and Brett Goldstein. Kyle Balda, a veteran of the Despicable Me and Minions franchises, directs.

Critics are being kind with 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 66 Metacritic. That could assist with parents taking the kids even though the source material is not huge IP domestically. A best case scenario could be a start in the high teens though I’m buying the projections in the lower to mid teens.

The Sheep Detectives opening weekend prediction: $14.6 million

For my Mortal Kombat II prediction, click here:

Mortal Kombat II Box Office Prediction

For my Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) prediction, click here:

Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) Box Office Prediction

Oscar Predictions: Swapped

Animated fantasy Swapped is streaming on Netflix today from Nathan Greno, best known for co-directing Disney’s Tangled. The body swap tale features Michael B. Jordan in a voiceover role and this is notably his first project since last year’s Oscar juggernaut Sinners and its record 16 nominations (including Jordan’s Best Actor victory). Other thespians behind the mic include Juno Temple, Tracy Morgan, Cedric the Entertainer, and Justina Machado.

The review embargo lifted on the same day of release. While some critics are praising the animation itself, write-ups aren’t overly wowed with the final results. Rotten Tomatoes is at 60% with 52 on Metacritic. Those numbers indicate the combined number of Academy mentions for Sinners and Swapped will be 16 as I don’t see this is a threat in Best Animated Feature. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Mortal Kombat II Box Office Prediction

Arriving in theaters five years after its predecessor, video game based Mortal Kombat II hopes to kick off with big numbers on May 8th. The martial arts sequel is actually the fourth overall feature in a franchise that began over 30 years ago, but was reinvigorated in April of 2021. Simon McQuoid returns as director with returning cast members Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Lewis Tan, Damon Herriman, Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada. New faces to the series include Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, and Tati Gabrielle.

The Warner Bros/New Line production is banking on the follow-up improving on the last entry. Keep in mind that 2021’s Kombat debuted in the midst of COVID closures and was released simultaneously on HBO Max. It still managed to exceed expectations with a $23 million premiere. That start was front-loaded with an eventual domestic tally of $42 million (the sophomore frame drop was a whopping 73%).

Even with that in mind, the outlook looks rosy that fans of the IP will be game for part II. I’m projecting it matches or even exceeds part 1’s overall take in the first weekend.

Mortal Kombat II opening weekend prediction: $43.1 million

For my The Sheep Detectives prediction, click here:

The Sheep Detectives Box Office Prediction

For my Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) prediction, click here:

Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) Box Office Prediction