Can Kingsman 2 or Ninjago Take Down IT at the Box Office?

While theIThad no trouble repeating atop the box office for a second straight frame in a row last weekend, it doesn’t seem that it will be going for a three-peat, with three new movies vying for the crown in wide release, 20th Century Fox’s action-packed sequelKingsman: The Golden Circle, Warner Bros.‘LEGO Moviespin-offThe LEGO Ninjago Movieand Entertainment Studios’ horror-thrillerFriend Request. While it very well could be a close race, we’re predicting thatNinjagowill come out on top with $55.6 million, whileKingsman 2will follow just behind with $52.4 million.

Box Office Mojoreports that bothKingsman 2andNinjagowill be released in roughly 3,900 theaters, withFriend Requestopening in roughly 3,000 theaters. All of those movies will still fall short of the 4,138 theaters that theblockbuster IT remakewas playing in last weekend, but after a record-breaking opening weekend, and a normal second-weekend drop,ITlikely will drop enough this weekend to pave the way for bothKingsman 2andNinjagoto take the top two spots, in what could be a very close race. As of now, onlyKingsman: The Golden Circlehas enough reviews posted for a Rotten Tomatoes rating, earning a solid 62%, although it remains to be seen how the critics will chime in on the other two movies. We’re predicting thatITwill drop to third place this weekend with $29.7 million, with the top 5 rounded out byFriend Request($9.8 million) andAmerican Assassin($7.2 million).

The opening weekend tallies for bothKingsman: The Golden CircleandThe LEGO Ninjago Movierepresent increases from their predecessors. The firstKingsman moviewas a surprise hit, opening with $36.2 million, going up against the R-rated blockbusterFifty Shades of Grey, en route to a $128.2 million domestic take and $414.3 million worldwide, from an $81 million budget. While the R-rated action-packed sequel will likely fare quite well, it likely won’t have enough to conquer the family-friendly animated spin-offThe LEGO Ninjago Movie. If theLEGOspin-off does hit its $55.6 million projection, it will have just barely exceeded the $53 million debut of this year’s earlier spin-off,The LEGO Batman Movie, which went on to earn $175.7 million domestic and $311.9 million worldwide, from an $80 million budget.

The top 10 will be rounded out bymother!($4.6 million),Home Again($3.4 million),The Hitman’s Bodyguard($1.8 million),Annabelle: Creation($1.5 million) andWind River($1.2 million). Also opening in limited release is the Fox Searchlight sports dramaBattle of the Sexes, Oscilloscope Pictures' documentaryBobbi Jene, Vertical Entertainment’s horror movieHappy Hunting, Samuel Goldwyn Films' dramaThe King’s Choice, Indican’s action movieRibbons, Roadside Attractions' dramaStronger, Shout! Factory’s dramatic comedyThe Tiger Hunter, the independent documentaryUnrest, Focus Features' dramaVictoria and Abduland A24’s dramatic thrillerWoodshock. There is no indication yet if these films will expand nationwide or not.

Looking ahead to next weekend, four more movies will close out the month in wide release, Universal Pictures' crime-thrillerAmerican Made, Sony/Screen Gems' horror remakeFlatliners, Novus' thrillerTill Death Do Us Partand PureFlix’sA Question of Faith. Also opening in limited release next weekend is Well Go USA’sChasing the Dragon, Freestyle Releasing’sDon’t Sleep, FIP’sJudwaa 2, Scree Media Films’Literally, Right Before Aaron, Magnolia’sLucky, Sony Pictures Classics’Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House, Newcity’sSignature Move, The Orchard’sSuper Dark Times, IFC’sTake Every Wave: The Life of Liard Hamilton, First Pond’sWindow Horsesand China Lion’sYouth. Take a look at our box office projections for the weekend of September 22, and check back on Sunday for the top 10 estimates.