Month: July 2026

Evil Dead Burn Box Office Prediction

In a summer where horror pics have lit up the box office, Warner Bros hopes that Evil Dead Burn continues that trend on July 10th. The sixth overall feature in a franchise that Sam Raimi started in the early 80s, this serves as a stand-alone continuation to 2013’s Evil Dead and 2023’s Evil Dead Rise. Sébastien Vaniček takes over directorial duties. The cast includes Souheila Yacoub, Tandi Wright, Hunter Doohan, and Luciane Buchanan.

Ten years ago, Evil Dead kicked off with a front-loaded $25.7 million on its way to a domestic gross of $54 million. A decade after that, Evil Dead Rise made a slightly lower $24.5 million out of the gate. However, it had stronger legs and ended up with $67 million. That goodwill from its predecessor and the genre’s overall strength in the marketplace could push Burn to the largest debut of the three.

In a best case scenario, that could mean a premiere approaching $30 million. Yet I’ll say the recent trend of underperformance applies here and this has the lowest opening of the trio.

Evil Dead Burn opening weekend prediction: $21.9 million

For my Moana prediction, click here:

Moana (2026) Box Office Prediction

For my The Invite prediction, click here:

The Invite Box Office Prediction

Moana (2026) Box Office Prediction

Out July 10th and arriving nearly a decade behind the original, Moana is Disney’s latest live-action rendering of their animated blockbusters. The musical adventure marks the directorial debut of Broadway vet Thomas Kail with Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Maui and Catherine Laga’aia making her big screen debut in the title role. Costars include John Tui, Frankie Adams, Jemaine Clement, and Rena Owen.

In 2016, Moana kicked off with $56 million over the traditional Thanksgiving weekend and $82 million over the five-day holiday frame. The domestic haul was an eventual $248 million. Over Turkey Day in 2024, Moana 2 tremendously exceeded expectations with $139 million from Friday to Sunday, $225 million for the five-day, and $460 million overall.

The Mouse House wasted no time with this live-action version to capitalize on the franchise’s viability. An argument could be made that the eight-year wait between the first two Moana‘s helped with anticipation. That may not be the case for this version considering that two years hasn’t even lapsed. Minions & Monsters and Toy Story 5 are still offering competition for family crowds. That could spell trouble for Moana and I’m projecting only mid 50s for what would be seen as a major letdown.

Moana opening weekend prediction: $54.3 million

For my Evil Dead Burn prediction, click here:

Evil Dead Burn Box Office Prediction

For my The Invite prediction, click here:

The Invite Box Office Prediction

Oscar Predictions: Minions & Monsters

It’s not often that the seventh feature in a franchise is considered to be the strongest (sorry Diamonds Are Forever and Saw: The Final Chapter). However, plenty of critics are claiming that to be the case for Minions & Monsters. Out today and prepared to rule the Fourth of July holiday weekend, this is Illumination Entertainment’s latest entry in their blockbuster animated comedic adventures. Pierre Coffin directs and voices the adorable little yellow creatures once again. Familiar faces providing behind the mic contributions include Trey Parker, Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges, Zoey Deutch, and Bobby Moynihan.

This is the third feature with the Minions moniker after the 2015 original and 2022 sequel Minions: The Rise of Gru. The series got started sixteen summers ago with Despicable Me and its three follow-ups. An ode to Hollywood in the 1920s, Monsters stands at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s the freshest RT score of the septet, topping Despicable Me‘s 80% and well ahead of Minions (55%) and Rise of Gru (70%). The 67 Metacritic lags only behind the first Despicable at 72.

The franchise’s Oscar track record got off to a promising start and then leveled off. In 2010, Despicable Me landed a Best Animated Feature nod. In 2013, the sequel was up in that race and also for the inescapable ditty “Happy” from Pharrell Williams in Original Song. None of those nominations resulted in victories and the four pics since haven’t received any recognition.

Monsters has the potential to change that with its better than expected reviews. A Best Animated Feature slot in the quintet is not out of the question. That said, competition is a factor. I’d put it behind Disney’s Hoppers and Toy Story 5 and upcoming releases like Wildwood, Ray Gunn, and Tangles are anticipated to contend. Time will tell if there’s room for the Minions and it might be an uphill battle. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…