Deadpool may never appear in an Avengers film, but he costars with Nick Fury next weekend when TheHitman’sBodyguard opens. The action comedy brings together Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson and looks to target the #1 spot over a rival competing for a similar audience. Patrick Hughes directs with Gary Oldman and Salma Hayek in the supporting cast.
It’s been a year and a half since the star power of Mr. Reynolds went way up with the aforementioned Deadpool. Since then, he’s appeared in supporting roles in Criminal and Life (both box office disappointments). Bodyguard, however, is his first headlining role since his winter 2016 blockbuster.
The pic could somewhat benefit from the dog days of August release and scarce competition – with one notable exception. Another action comedy with some big names – Steven Soderbergh’s LoganLucky with Channing Tatum and Daniel Craig – debuts against it and it’s getting solid reviews. Lucky could charm some viewers away, but the net result could be slightly lower numbers for both because they’re directly competing against each other.
I’ll say Bodyguard manages to come out on top with a debut in the mid to high teens, which should be good for the top spot.
TheHitman’sBodyguard opening weekend prediction: $16.7 million
Over the years, Ryan Reynolds has seen his share of hits in multiples genres from rom coms (The Proposal) to action flicks (Safe House). He’s also earned the kudos of critics for appearing in acclaimed indie product such as Woman in Gold, Buried, and Definitely, Maybe.
Reynolds has also had his share of flops, from R.I.P.D. to Self/less to name some recent ones. And while they weren’t necessarily big financial disappointments, he also had the distinction of appearing in two comic book adaptations that aren’t well-regarded: 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Green Lantern. It was in Wolverine where he costarred with Hugh Jackman as Wade Wilson, better known as raunchy superhero Deadpool. Again, this wasn’t met with much approval from comic book lovers.
For years, Reynolds fought hard to make a version of Deadpool the way he wanted to and finally got his wish in 2016. The result? Well, the aftermath easily earns him a place among performers who had a sterling year. Deadpool opened in February to an astonishing $132 million and an eventual $363 million domestic haul. The pic is easily the actor’s largest grosser ever. It had the largest opening ever for an R rated feature and is second all-time for pictures with that rating (just behind The Passion of the Christ). Additionally, it is 2016’s current #5 earner. And he earned a Golden Globe nomination for his work.
So… yeah, the gamble paid off for Reynolds in a way that was unimaginable just a year ago. Naturally, we will see a sequel in 2018 yet Mr. Reynolds will have a busy 2017 as well. In March, he costars with Jake Gyllenhaal in the outer space thriller Life and in August he headlines action comedy The Hitman’s Bodyguard with Samuel L. Jackson and Gary Oldman.
For 2016, the massive Deadpool juggernaut gave Reynolds his likely signature role and a different kind of superhero tale that was tremendous fun.
Disney should have another fantastic weekend on top of the charts with The Jungle Book, which far exceeded expectations this past weekend for a swinging debut (more on that below).
That means this weekend’s major newcomer The Huntsman Winter’s War could be in for a rough road. You can find my detailed prediction on it here:
As I see it, the sort of prequel/sort of sequel to 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman will come in with under half of the $56 million made by its predecessor. That’ll put it firmly in second, but below expectations and far below Mowgli and company.
As for holdovers, I look for Barbershop: The Next Cut to lose not quite half its audience with Zootopia and The Boss rounding out the top five.
There is one other newcomer this week – Elvis & Nixon with Michael Shannon and Kevin Spacey recreating the true life tale of The King visiting the 37th POTUS at the White House. There is yet to be a screen count for it, which makes predicting tough. Here’s my quick take: the film seems like an obvious choice for a Netflix or HBO premiere and not theatrical. I’ll say it makes $1.3 million.
And with that, my top five predictions for the weekend:
The Jungle Book
Predicted Gross: $59 million (representing a drop of 43%)
2. The Huntsman Winter’s War
Predicted Gross: $26.3 million
3. Barbershop: The Next Cut
Predicted Gross: $11.2 million (representing a drop of 45%)
4. Zootopia
Predicted Gross: $5 million (representing a drop of 40%)
5. The Boss
Predicted Gross: $4.9 million (representing a drop of 50%)
Box Office Results (April 15-17)
It was a joyous week for Disney as Jon Favreau’s well-reviewed live-action remake of The Jungle Book took in an astonishing $103.2 million, way beyond my $74.6M projection. Just weeks after the studio made a killing with their animated animals of Zootopia, Mowgli and the CG animals here have given the Mouse Factory another smash. A sequel is already in development and it’s less than three weeks before their next blockbuster – Captain America: Civil War.
Barbershop: The Next Cut premiered in the runner-up spot with $20.2 million, under my $23.1M estimate. The Ice Cube three-quel came 12 years after the second installment and marked the lowest debut of the franchise (just barely below the $20.6M achieved by the original).
Melissa McCarthy’s The Boss dropped hard to third with $9.9 million compared to my $13.5M prognosis. Its two-week total is $4oM.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice also under performed my estimate with $9 million (I said $11.1M) for a total gross of $311M.
The aforementioned Zootopia was fifth with $8.1 million for a $307M total and I incorrectly had it outside my top five.
That’s because I gave too much credit to the Kevin Costner/Ryan Reynolds thriller Criminal, which tanked in sixth with $5.7 million. I said $9.3M.
And that’ll do it for now, folks! Until next time…
Disney should dominate the upcoming weekend as its live-action remake of The Jungle Book swings into theaters. It’s not the only new game in town though as Barbershop: The Next Cut and Kevin Costner/Ryan Reynolds action thriller Criminal also debut. You can peruse my detailed prediction posts on each of them here:
I have The Jungle Book outpacing the Mouse Factory’s terrific debuts for Maleficent and Cinderella. Word of mouth and reviews are both solid and my prediction puts it just under what Zootopia earned out of the gate in March.
My prognosis is also bright for Barbershop, the third entry in a franchise that’s been dormant for over a decade. As for Criminal, I have it coming in slightly under what Costner’s 3 Days to Kill accomplished two years ago. It’s worth saying that estimate for it is a bit above others that have it coming in with less than $10M.
Current champ The Boss may fall in the low to mid 40s while Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice should continue its streak of 50% plus dips in its fourth weekend. And with that, my predictions for this weekend’s top five:
The Jungle Book
Predicted Gross: $74.6 million
2. Barbershop: The Next Cut
Predicted Gross: $23.1 million
3. The Boss
Predicted Gross: $13.5 million (representing a drop of 42%)
4. BatmanvSuperman: DawnofJustice
Predicted Gross: $11.1 million (representing a drop of 52%)
5. Criminal
Predicted Gross: $9.3 million
Box Office Results (April 8-10)
I predicted a tight race for the top spot between Melissa McCarthy’s The Boss and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in weekend #3. It was even closer than I thought it would be as The Boss opened in first with $23.4 million. My prediction? $23.5M! Talk about being a boss, eh? Hey, this doesn’t happen too often, so I’ll enjoy it while I can.
That means BvS slippedto second place with $23.3 million, a tad below my $24.5M prognosis. Warner Bros superhero mashup stands at $296M after three weeks.
Disney’s Zootopia was third with $14.3 million – in line with my $14.9M estimate for a total of $296M as well.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 was fourth in weekend #3 with $6.4 million, a bit under my $7.3M prediction for a $4.6M total.
Finally – landing with a major thud in fifth place was the debut of first person action flick Hardcore Henry with just $5.1 million compared to my $7.8M projection. And I was on the lower end of estimates!
And that’ll do it for now, friends! Until next time…
Superman’s Dad (Kevin Costner), Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones), and Wonder Woman (Gil Gadot) headline the CIA action thriller Criminal, out next weekend. The pic hopes to bring in an older audience not preoccupied with taking their kids to see The Jungle Book.
It could be a tall order. I don’t believe the marketing campaign has done much to inspire enthusiasm and Costner’s track record over recent years has been spotty when he’s in the lead. This will be lucky to reach the $12.2 million that his 3 Days to Kill managed two years ago, though it’s certainly possible. Summit Entertainment’s best hope might be that audiences notice the participation of Mr. Reynolds (in a supporting part) so soon after the massive success of Deadpool.
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