The theme of the new releases for the second week of June 2016 have major ties to the summer of 2013. The Conjuring 2 is the sequel to the horror hit that came out that season three years ago. Now You See Me 2 is the follow-up to the surprise blockbuster that also hit screens that same season. Where we can find a Summer 2013 connection to Warcraft?

Well, it may be just M. Night Shyamalan’s After Earth. If that sounds like a bad omen, you wouldn’t be wrong. The pic is, of course, based on the wildly popular video game series that dates back to 1994. That game has spawned comics, cards, magazines, and more and has a highly faithful fan base. It was only a matter of time before it got the big screen treatment and Universal Pictures tapped Duncan Jones to make it. Mr. Jones (son of David Bowie) is known for critically lauded sci-fi entries Moon and Source Code. Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, and Dominic Cooper are among the humans battling lots of CG creatures.

Warcraft comes with a giant budget of $160 million. It also comes with mostly negative word of mouth and reviews (it sits at just 24% on Rotten Tomatoes). The film will need a very strong showing by its devotees to avoid being a costly dud and that could be a tall order. The love for the game could push this higher than my prediction, but I’m skeptical. Competition is strong with the aforementioned sequels to The Conjuring and Now You See Me. 

The comparison to After Earth could be apt as it was another big-budget genre tale with poor reviews and troubling buzz. That Will Smith title made $27.5 million for its start and I believe Warcraft could have trouble matching even that.

Warcraft opening weekend prediction: $23.3 million

For my The Conjuring 2 prediction, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2016/06/01/the-conjuring-2-box-office-prediction/

For my Now You See Me 2 prediction, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2016/06/01/now-you-see-me-2-box-office-prediction/