Another Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, as 20th Century Fox’sX-Men: Apocalypsepulls away with an easy win at the box office. The superhero sequel took in $65.3 million over the three-day weekend and $80 million over the four-day holiday. This superhero adventure’s reign at the top may be over quickly, though, with three newcomers hitting theaters this Friday, including Paramount’sTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Warner Bros.‘Me Before Youand Universal’sPopstar: Never Stop Never Stoppingarriving in wide release. If our projections are accurate,Ninja Turtles 2should be the king of them all.
According toBox Office Mojo,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadowswill easily have the widest release this weekend, opening in an estimated 3,800 theaters.Me Before Youis slated to open in more than 2,500 theaters, whilePopstaris set to open in approximately 2,200 theaters.Me Before Youcurrently sits at a 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, although there aren’t enough reviews in forTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the ShadowsandPopstar. We’re predicting thatTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadowsshould easily take the top spot with $61.3 million, which, if true, would come in just under its predecessor, 2014’sTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which opened with $65.5 million two summers ago. But there is a chance that it could be much bigger than that.
After super villainShredderescapes custody, he joins forces with mad scientist Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry) and two dimwitted henchmen, Bebop and Rocksteady, to unleash a diabolical plan to take over the world. As the Turtles prepare to take on Shredder and his new crew, they find themselves facing an even greater evil with similar intentions: The notoriousKrang. OriginalTeenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesstarsAlan Ritchson(Raphael),Noel Fisher(Michelangelo),Pete Ploszek(Leonardo) andJeremy Howard(Donatello) all return to reprise their roles as the Turtles, along withMegan Fox(April O’Neill) andWill Arnett(Vern Fenwick).Tyler Perryhas come aboard to play Baxter Stockman, alongsideStephen Amellas Casey Jones,Brian Teeas Shredder andBrittany Ishibashias Karai.Laura Linneyalso joins the cast as a law enforcement officer.
X-Men: Apocalypsewill likely drop to second place with $30.4 million, followed by newcomerMe Before Youin third with $15.1 million.Me Before Youfollows Louisa “Lou” Clark (Emilia Clarke), who lives in a quaint town in the English countryside. With no clear direction in her life, the quirky and creative 26-year-old goes from one job to the next in order to help her tight-knit family make ends meet. Her normally cheery outlook is put to the test, however, when she faces her newest career challenge. Taking a job at the local “castle,” she becomes caregiver and companion to Will Traynor (Sam Claflin), a wealthy young banker who became wheelchair bound in an accident two years prior, and whose whole world changed dramatically in the blink of an eye. No longer the adventurous soul he once was, the now cynical Will has all but given up. That is until Lou determines to show him that life is worth living. Embarking together on a series of adventures, both Lou and Will get more than they bargained for, and find their lives-and hearts-changing in ways neither one could have imagined.
Alice Through the Looking Glasswill most likely drop to fourth place with a predicted $12.3 million, withPopstarrounding out the top 5 with $10.2 million. Universal Pictures’Popstar: Never Stop Never Stoppingis headlined by musical digital-shorts superstarsAndy Samberg,Akiva SchafferandJorma Taccone, collectively known asThe Lonely Island. The comedy goes behind the scenes as singer/rapper Conner4Real (Andy Samberg) faces a crisis of popularity after his sophomore album flops, leaving his fans, sycophants and rivals all wondering what to do when he’s no longer the dopest star of all.
The latest comedy from blockbuster producerJudd Apatow(Trainwreck,Superbad) co-starsSarah Silverman,Tim MeadowsandMaya Rudolphand many of the biggest names in comedy and music in cameo performances. Co-directed byAkiva SchafferandJorma Tacconeand written byThe Lonely Islandtrio,Popstaris also produced byRodney Rothman(producer ofGet Him to the Greek,Forgetting Sarah Marshall; co-writer of22 Jump Street), as well asAndy Samberg,Akiva SchafferandJorma Taccone.
The top 10 will be rounded out byThe Angry Birds Movie($9.1 million),Captain America: Civil War($8.7 million),Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising($5.2 million),The Jungle Book($3.4 million) andThe Nice Guys($3 million). Also opening this week in limited release is Independent’s sci-fi thrillerApproaching The Unknown, United Entertainment Partners’ dramaThe Final Master, Oscilloscope Pictures' dramaThe Fits, Abramorama’s documentaryTime to Chooseand FilmRise’s documentaryThe Witness. It isn’t known quite yet if any of these limited release movies will expand in the weeks to come.
Looking ahead to next weekend, three new movies will debut in wide release, two of which are sequels. Universal will debut their long-awaited video game adaptationWarcraft, which will go up against Warner Bros.' horror sequelThe Conjuring 2and Lionsgate’sNow You See Me 2. Be sure to check back on Sunday for the box office estimates, and again next Tuesday for the latest round of predictions. Until then, check out the projected top 10 for the weekend of June 3.
