'Emoji Movie' May Win the Weekend

A potentially close race is shaping up at the North American box office, where new family animated film The Emoji Movie is battling Dunkirk for the No. 1 spot, according to early returns.

The Emoji Movie, from Sony Animated Pictures, is projected to earn $9 million-$10 million on Friday, including $900,000 in Thursday previews, for a weekend take of $26 million-$27 million despite withering reviews.

Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros.' World War II drama Dunkirk is expected to gross $8 million on its second Friday for a weekend haul of $26 million-$27 million. Box-office observers caution that the numbers could shift.

The Emoji Movie, based on the popular symbols used in text messages, centers on Gene (T.J. Miller) who, unlike the other inhabitants of Textpolis, has multiple expressions. Determined to be normal, he and his friends embark on an adventure to locate the code that will fix him, only to find themselves in a race to save the world.

Read the rest of this article at The Hollywood Reporter.


Atomic Blonde is also a contender for the week's top spot.