Good Boys served as one of the only surprise bright spots this summer at the box office, when it debuted to $21.4 million last weekend, making for one of the best comedy debuts of the year. As summer winds down, we’re getting another uneven dump of studio releases this weekend, which will likely see the coming-of-age flick surrender the crown. Lionsgate’s Angel Has Fallen, Fox Searchlight’s Ready or Not and Sony’s Overcomer are all debuting for the movie-going public to choose from.
Vegas odds are on Angel Has Fallen, the third entry in the “Fallen” series starring Gerard Butler as Secret Service agent Mike Banning, taking the top spot with between $13 and $18 million. The action flick, directed by Ric Roman Waugh, has been met with a mixed response from critics thus far. But a strong supporting cast that includes Morgan Freeman, Jada Pinkett Smith and Nick Nolte, as well as a lack of new, mass appeal popcorn entertainment, should pave the way for the Lionsgate release to debut at number one.
Good Boys, which has been met with a great deal of critical praise, is likely to slip just one spot to number two. The comedy, directed by Gene Stupnitsky and produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, should see between $10 and $13 million in its second frame. This is a huge win for Universal Studios, who seems to be the only studio in town that can open a big budget comedy right now. The $20 million-budgeted movie has already grossed $28 million worldwide.
The three spot at the weekend box office should go to one of the weekend’s other newcomers. Ready or Not, a horror/comedy that has been compared to Clue with a whole lot more violence, has earned rave reviews and will be the widest release ever for a Fox Searchlight title. The Disney-owned specialty studio released the movie, which is directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, a couple of days early to get a jump on the competition. In total, it could be looking at a $12 million take over its first five days of release. The cast includes Samara Weaving, Adam Brody and Andie MacDowell. As of this writing, it boasts a 90 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sony looks to capitalize with the faith-based drama Overcomer, which is directed by Alex Kendrick and comes from the same creative team behind the hit War Room. Estimates have it bringing in around $6 million. That means it could come in at the number five spot, just below Hobbs & Shaw, which will likely bring in closer to $7 million. Be sure to check out our full list of weekend box office predictions below and check back with us on Sunday for the weekend estimates. Numbers used in this report were provided by Box Office Mojo.
| 1 | Angel Has Fallen | |
| 2 | Good Boys | |
| 3 | Ready or Not | |
| 4 | Hobbs & Shaw | |
| 5 | Overcomer | |
| 6 | The Lion King | |
| 7 | The Angry Birds Movie 2 | |
| 8 | Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark | |
| 9 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | |
| 10 | Dora and the Lost City of Gold |
