Man, I’d hate to be an X-Men fan this weekend.
Wait, I AM an X-Men fan. Believe me when I say, this weekend is going to be painful at the box office for folks like us.
After nearly 20 years and 12 films, the X-Men franchise as it currently stands comes to a near close with the release of Dark Phoenix, a redo of the evil Jean Grey story that X-Men: The Last Stand botched when it tried adapting it from the classic 1980 comic book story in 2006. This time out, its not Famke Janssen as Jean, but Sophie Turner, who first played the character in 2016’s abysmal X-Men: Apocalypse. Dark Phoenix has been netting absolutely horrible reviews, which doesn’t bode well for its showing at the box office. Then there’s the common knowledge that, with the rights to the X-Men now in the hands of Disney, thanks to its purchase of Fox, this movie really doesn’t matter at all. If reviews had been good, maybe audiences would want to come out to say good-bye to the franchise. But as it stands, I believe we’re looking at a film that’s going to not be only reviled, but ignored. Look for Dark Phoenix to settle for second place with $40 million.
As for the rest of the top five, this week’s number one will easily be The Secret Life of Pets 2. The first film debut with a surprising $104 million at the box office back in 2016 and, while the sequel won’t likely reach those numbers, it should still do well. Look for it to arrive with $60 million.
Disney’s Aladdin will be in third place with $24 million, while Godzilla: King of the Monsters will drop to fourth place with $20 million. Rocketman should close things out in fifth place with $16 million.
So, to recap, here are our predictions:
1) The Secret Life of Pets 2 – $60 million
2) Dark Phoenix – $40 million
3) Disney’s Aladdin – $24 million
4) Godzilla: King of the Monsters – $20 million
5) Rocketman – $16 million
Be sure to check back on Sunday to see how the weekend turns out!
