Due to a complete lack of compelling options, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is expected to top the box office in its sixth weekend of release.
Several films are opening nationwide — including the Dennis Quaid biopic “Reagan” and the Sony/Blumhouse horror “Afraid” — but none are expected to make big box office hits over the Labor Day weekend. These new films are targeting low single digits and will be lucky to crack the top five, which appears to be filled with films like “Alien: Romulus” and the romantic drama “It Ends With Us.”
In one of the slowest weekends of the year, Disney’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” looks set to earn between $12 million and $13 million over the extended holiday period. The R-rated film, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, has held the No. 1 spot for four of its five weekends. It’s the second-highest-grossing film of the year with $577 million in North America and $1.21 billion worldwide.
Among the new releases, “Reagan” could lead the pack, taking in $5 million to $7 million over the four-day period. The $25 million film, directed by Sean McNamara (“Soul Surfer”), is based on Paul Kengor’s 2006 book “Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism.” The film tells the story of Ronald Reagan from his childhood through his years as president, through a conversation between former Soviet intelligence agent Viktor Petrovich (Jon Voight) and rising Russian politician Andrei Novikov (Alexei Sparrow). ShowBiz Direct, an independent distributor, is releasing the film.
“Afraid” is targeting a similar start of $5 million to $7 million Friday-Monday. The film, starring John Cho and Katherine Waterston, is about a family who are chosen to test a revolutionary artificial intelligence home. But the new device begins to develop self-awareness and becomes somewhat intertwined with their lives. Blumhouse tends to keep costs low, so “Afraid” has a slim production budget of $12 million.
The box office is expected to get a little darker. Lionsgate’s crime thriller “1992,” starring Tyrese Gibson and Scott Eastwood, Bleecker Street’s sci-fi thriller “Slingshot” and Roadside’s human-trafficking drama “City of Dreams” are all expected to earn $2.5 million or less between Friday and Monday’s holiday weekend.
“1992” follows a store owner who must rescue his son from an angry mob during the Los Angeles uprising following the Rodney King verdict. “Slingshot” stars Casey Affleck as an astronaut struggling to maintain his grip on reality on a potentially deadly mission to Saturn’s moon Titan. “City of Dreams” follows a young Mexican farmer who travels to Los Angeles with the promise of a soccer camp, only to realize he’s been sold into a workhouse.
In the case of “City of Dreams,” about 50 percent of the anticipated ticket sales won’t be revenue in the traditional sense. In an unusual move, the filmmakers and John Devaney, founder of United Capital and Manor House Films, have decided to give away $1 million in free tickets. Their donations are being made to “individuals and groups, including anti-trafficking organizations, survivors, schools, churches, municipalities, and people who might not otherwise be able to afford to see the film,” according to a press release.
The film's writer, director and producer Mohit Ramchandani said the free screenings would help “shine a light on some of the world's most vulnerable people.”
“There are 12 million children who are victims of modern slavery today,” he said in a statement. “In our film, we tell the story of one of these children who had the courage to stand up to them.”
