October 16-18 Box Office Predictions

A quartet of newcomers step into the box office ring this weekend. Video game adaptation Street Fighter looks to lead the pack while survival tale Whalefall, acclaimed documentary You Can See Everything, and the latest adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility jockey for position in the top five. You can peruse my detailed prediction posts on them here:

Arriving 32 years after the Jean-Claude Van Damme version was a considerable bomb, Street Fighter should fare better with a decent if unspectacular mid 20s start. That should easily give it a first place finish.

Whalefall features Resident Evil lead Austin Abrams stuck in the belly of a sperm whale and I have it logging a so-so fourth place start in the high single digits.

You Can See Everything is the major question mark. It made a splash at the Telluride Film Festival and the covering of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes before she entered prison should generate eyeballs. The challenge is that I’ve yet to see a screen count. My higher single digits estimate could put in anywhere from 2nd to 4th depending on the Other Mommy drop.

Jessica Chastain’s horror flick opened in line with expectations (more on that below) but poor reviews and a dreadful D+ Cinemascore grade could spell a mid to high 60s percentage decline in weekend #2.

Sense and Sensibility doesn’t seem to have significant buzz and my mid single digits take should have it rounding out the top six just behind Verity‘s third frame.

Here’s how I see it shaking out:

1. Street Fighter

Predicted Gross: $24.5 million

2. Other Mommy

Predicted Gross: $9.1 million

3. You Can See Everything

Predicted Gross: $8.9 million

4. Whalefall

Predicted Gross: $8.2 million

5. Verity

Predicted Gross: $5.9 million

6. Sense and Sensibility

Predicted Gross: $5.3 million

Box Office Results (October 9-11)

Audiences were hungry for horror despite a critical drubbing as Other Mommy brought in $27.8 million, on pace with my $27.2 million prediction. As mentioned, even with genre fans craving scares, this should fade quickly.

Verity dropped to second with $12 million, just under my $13.1 million call. The thriller with Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson eased 63% for a two-week total of $54 million.

Resident Evil was third in its fourth frame with $8.5 million compared to my $7.8 million projection. This video game adaptation grew to $138 million.

Heart of the Beast took fourth with $7.4 million (I said $6.6 million) as the Brad Pitt survival tale hit $50 million after three weeks.

Finally, Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning tanked in fifth with $5 million. Taking in just a quarter of what 2010 predecessor The Social Network achieved out of the gate, the tech drama couldn’t match my $7.4 million number.

And that does it for now, folks! Until next time…

October 9-11 Box Office Predictions

Horror looks to rule the charts with Jessica Chastain as the creepy Other Mommy while Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning also debuts. You can peruse my detailed prediction posts on the two newcomers here:

With an effective trailer and a likely hunger for scary material as we’re into the month of October, my mid 20s projection for Mommy easily gives it the victory.

The Social Reckoning may have to settle for anywhere between third and fifth place. A sort of sequel to 2010’s acclaimed The Social Network, this updated look at Facebook/Meta isn’t carrying the type of buzz that greeted its predecessor. I have this making only a third of what Network achieved over a decade and a half ago.

As for holdovers, Verity had a fantastic opening (more on that below). The C+ Cinemascore grade is a bit troubling and a 60% sophomore dip would put it in a distant second. With my soft outlook for Reckoning, I’ll say that Resident Evil narrowly edges it out for third with Heart of the Beast rounding out the top five.

Here’s how I see it playing out:

1. Other Mommy

Predicted Gross: $27.2 million

2. Verity

Predicted Gross: $13.1 million

3. Resident Evil

Predicted Gross: $7.8 million

4. The Social Reckoning

Predicted Gross: $7.6 million

5. Heart of the Beast

Predicted Gross: $6.6 million

Box Office Results (October 2-4)

A couple weeks back, I couldn’t have imagined not discussing where Digger would place in the top five in its sophomore frame, but here we are.

We will get to Tom Cruise’s box office disaster shortly though we’ll start with positive results. Verity, based on the Colleen Hoover novel, opened at the highest end of expectations with $32 million. The thriller starring Anne Hathaway (in her fifth 2026 flick) and Dakota Johnson blew past my $20.4 million prediction. As mentioned, it should see a large decline this weekend but this is a fine result for Amazon MGM.

Resident Evil stayed in second place with $12.6 million, in range with my $12 million projection. The video game based horror tale has taken in $125 million after three weeks.

Heart of the Beast was third with $10.8 million, on pace with my $11.2 million call. The Brad Pitt/German Shepherd survival tale is up to $38 million in two weeks.

Digger was fourth and marked Tom Cruise’s lowest opening since 2007’s Lions for Lambs (in which he was a supporting player). With mixed reviews and a C+ Cinemascore, audiences and critics were divided and the result was only $8 million compared to my $10.3 million forecast. Warner Bros as we know it (after Paramount’s acquisition) goes out with a whimper as this will be a significant money loser for the studio.

Primetime rounded out the top five and I incorrectly had it on the outside looking in. Also with $8 million, the two-week tally is $34 million.

Finally, last week’s #1 Avengers: Endgame Encore fell a lot further than I figured in seventh with $4.4 million. That’s an 83% decline and I was far more generous at $10 million. Don’t feel bad for the MCU, however, as its overall gross since 2019 ballooned to $894 million.

And that does it for now, folks! Until next time…

Oscar Predictions: Verity

Based on the bestseller by Colleen Hoover, psychological thriller Verity looks to top the box office this weekend over Tom Cruise’s Digger. All signs are indicating that it will. Michael Showalter directs with Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett headlining.

While it may double the opening performance of Cruise and company (that’s what I’m projecting), reviews for both features are not great. Verity is at 47% on Rotten Tomatoes with 44 on Metacritic (Digger currently has the exact same MC score).

This is Hathaway’s fifth theatrical release of 2026. The Odyssey gives her a great opportunity for a second Supporting Actress try and possible win 14 years after her podium trip for Les Miserables. The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Mother Mary are both possibilities for Costume Design while The End of Oak Street hopes to get in for Visual Effects. Verity is the only Hathaway flick that appears to have no chance at awards consideration. To be fair, Amazon MGM didn’t make it for that and my Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

October 2-4 Box Office Predictions

For the first time in nearly a decade, Tom Cruise headlines a picture that isn’t an action sequel via Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu’s satire Digger. Cruise and company will need to fend off a challenge from Verity, a psychological thriller based on Colleen Hoover’s novel starring the inescapable Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson. You can peruse my detailed prediction posts on the newcomers here:

Truth be told, I think Ms. Hathaway easily holds the advantage. Verity should be able to bring in a decent (especially female) crowd familiar with the source material. Mid teens could be the floor though I have this in the mid 20s for a first place showing.

I would’ve pegged Digger for a similar start a couple of weeks back. However, reviews are subpar and this is not your typical Cruise content that audiences have grown accustomed to recently. My projection has steadily declined and my barely double digits forecast could put it anywhere from second place to fifth. That would be a disastrous kickoff for the satire with a $125 million budget.

Holdovers Avengers Endgame: Encore, Resident Evil, and Heart of the Beast may all be in the same range. I have #s 2-5 separated by a mere $2 million and here’s how I have it shaking out:

1. Verity

Predicted Gross: $20.4 million

2. Resident Evil

Predicted Gross: $12 million

3. Heart of the Beast

Predicted Gross: $11.2 million

4. Digger

Predicted Gross: $10.3 million

5. Avengers Endgame: Encore

Predicted Gross: $10 million

Box Office Results (September 25-27)

Not long after Spider-Man relinquished the top spot, the MCU returned to #1 with the re-release (with some extra footage) of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame Encore. Meant to drum up anticipation for December’s Avengers: Doomsday, the epic comic book experience accomplished its mission and added $26.1 million to its coffers. That’s beyond my $22.6 million take as its domestic total ballooned to $884 million.

Resident Evil, after a terrific debut, slid to second with an understandable 62% dip to $23 million. I was on target with a $24 million prediction as the franchise reboot passed the century mark after ten days with $103 million.

Three newcomers filled with the rest of the top five with Brad Pitt’s Heart of the Beast in third. With a German Shepherd as his costar, the survival drama earned $20 million, surpassing my $16.8 million call. That gross would be more notable if not for its $80M+ budget, but it’s still at the high end of its anticipated range.

Primetime starring Robert Pattinson rode a wave of favorable buzz to $19.1 million in fourth compared to my $14.5 million prediction. Lots of audience members chose to have a seat for the A24 title which has a lowly $15 million price tag.

The news was not as positive for DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island. Despite fresh critical reaction, the family friendly tale was fifth with $13 million (I went higher at $17.2 million). It’ll hope for families to catch up in subsequent weekends though it’s undoubtedly a flat result.

And that does it for now, folks! Until next time…

Verity Box Office Prediction

The onslaught of 2026 Anne Hathaway movies continues with Verity, based on the novel by It Ends with Us author Colleen Hoover. Out October 2nd, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett costar in the psychological thriller directed by Michael Showalter.

Originally slated for May, this becomes Hathaway’s fifth pic of the year behind Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada 2, The Odyssey, and The End of Oak Street. As far as opening weekends, it could land right in the middle and certainly behind Prada and Odyssey. It might also fall a tad behind Oak‘s $21 million premiere.

Hoover’s built-in audience should mean a decent female turnout. While I don’t see this approaching the $50 million that It Ends with Us scored out of the gate, a start in the mid 20s seems doable. That could put it in a close race for #1 with Tom Cruise’s Digger (Hathaway will team up with Cruise for summer 2028’s Days of Thunder 2).

Verity opening weekend prediction: $25.4 million

For my Digger prediction, click here: