While the action-thrillerThe Hitman’s Bodyguardended up managing an easyopening weekend box office winjust a few days ago, it also set a record for box office futility, with the lowest-grossing overall weekend to date in 2017. As the summer movie season comes to an end this weekend, that record may be broken, with three under-promoted movies hitting theaters, the animated comedyLeap!, the Bruce Lee biopicBirth of the Dragonand the religious dramaAll Saints, which are expected to open in 2,000 theaters or less. We’re predicting thatThe Hitman’s Bodyguardwill actually come out on top again this weekend with a projected $12.5 million as the disappointing summer season comes to a close.
WhileThe Hitman’s Bodyguarddidn’t exactly have a stellar opening weekend, it will still have a much wider release than any of these newcomers.Box Office Mojoreports thatLeap!will have the “widest” release of any of these newcomers, arriving in roughly 2,000 theaters, roughly 1,300 theaters less thanThe Hitman’s Bodyguardopened in last weekend, withBirth of the Dragon, based on a true story about a legendary fight betweenBruce Leeand kung fu legend Wong Jack Man, arriving in just 1,500 theaters whileAll Saintsdebuts in approximately 800 theaters. With none of these newcomers given a particularly strong release, and none of them even having enough reviews posted for a Rotten Tomatoes score, it’s shaping up to be an incredibly underwhelming weekend at the box office.
We’re predicting thatLeap!will debut in second place with $11.4 million, with the top 5 rounded out byAnnabelle: Creation($8.4 million),Birth of the Dragon($7.9 million) andLogan Lucky($5.2 million). The animated adventureLeap!is set in Paris, 1884, where an orphaned girl arrives in Paris from Brittany. Félicie Milliner (Elle Fanning) is 11 and has no money but one big, passionate dream: to become a dancer. With nothing left to lose, Félicie takes a big risk: she ‘borrows’ a spoiled brats identity and enters the Opera Ballet School. But how long can she be someone else? Mentored by the tough and mysterious cleaner, Odette (Carly Rae Jepsen), Félicie learns that talent is not enough, it takes hard work to be better than her ruthless, conniving fellow students. That and friendship. Felicie’s inventive, exhausting and charismatic best friend Victor also has a dream: becoming a famous inventor. Together, they both encourage each other to reach for the stars.
Set against the backdrop of 1960s San Francisco,Birth of the Dragonis a modern take on the classic movies that Bruce Lee was known for. It takes its inspiration from the epic and still controversial showdown between an up-and-coming Bruce Lee and kung fu masterWong Jack Man, a battle that gave birth to a legend. The cast includes Phillip Ng as Bruce Lee, Xia Yu as Wong Jack Man, Jin Xing, Jingjing Qu as Xiulan, Simon Yin as Vinnie Wei and Billy Magnussen as Steve McKee, who is based on Hollywood star Steve McQueen, one of Bruce Lee’s students in the 1960s.
All Saintsis based on the inspiring true story of salesman-turned-pastor Michael Spurlock (John Corbett), the tiny church he was ordered to shut down, and a group of refugees from Southeast Asia. Together, they risked everything to plant seeds for a future that might just save them all. After trading in his corporate sales career to become a pastor, Michael’s first assignment is All Saints, a quaint country church with a dozen members. It comes with a catch: he has to close the church doors for good and sell the prime piece of land on which it sits. While developers eagerly eye the property and the congregation mourns the inevitable, Michael and his family look forward to moving on to an established church where they can put down roots. But when the church hesitantly begins welcoming Karen (kuh-REN) refugees from Burma-former farmers striving for a fresh start in America-Michael feels called to an improbable new mission. Toiling alongside the Karen people, the congregation attempts to turn their fertile land into a working farm to pay the church’s bills and feed its newest people. Jeopardizing his family’s future by ignoring his superiors, Michael must choose between completing what he was assigned to do-close the church and sell the property-or listening to a still, small voice challenging the people of All Saints to risk it all and provide much-needed hope to their new community.
The top 10 will be rounded out byDunkirk($3.3 million),The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature($3.1 million),All Saints($2.7 million),The Emoji Movie($2.1 million) andSpider-Man: Homecoming($1.8 million). The A24 indieGood Timeis also expanding nationwide this weekend, so it’s possible it could sneak into the top 10, but without any sort of theater count estimate, it’s difficult to tell at this point. Also opening in limited release this weekend is Neon’s dramaBeach Rats, FIP’s action movieA Gentleman, Vertical Entertainment’s horror-thrillerGhost HouseWell Go USA’s foreign moviesLegend of the Naga PearlsandThe Villainess, Oscilloscope Pictures' dramaPolina, Artsploitation’s horror filmRed Christmas, Entertainment Studios' documentaryServed Like a Girl, The Weinstein Company’s dramaTulip Feverand the 3D re-release of the 1991 action classicTerminator 2: Judgment Day.
Looking ahead to next weekend, the Labor Day weekend holiday will bring just one wide release, The Weinstein Company’sTulip Fever. Also opening in limited release will be Freestyle Releasing’sA Boy Called Po, Sony’sClose Encounters Of The Third Kind2017 Re-Release, PBS' documentaryDolores, Pantelion’s foreign filmHazlo Como Hombre (Do It Like An Hombre), Shout! Factory’s horror-thrillerJackals, Vertical Entertainment’s comedyThe Layover, Screen Media’s horror movieTemple, Lionsgate Premiere’s action-thrillerUnlocked, Hammond’s thrillerValley of Bonesand the dramaViceroy’s House. Take a look at our projections for the weekend of August 25, and check back on Sunday for the box office estimates.
