New Movies August 12: 'Pete's Dragon' and 'Sausage Party'
by EG
Three new wide releases will enter theaters this weekend, but none of them has much of a chance of beating last week's number-one movie, Suicide Squad, even if the critically lambasted DC Comics movie has a big drop in ticket sales this week. At least two of the new movies, though, should be able to sit comfortably in the top five by the end of the weekend.
The first new release this week is Disney's Pete's Dragon, a remake of the 1977 animated/live-action fantasy about a boy and his dragon best friend. The remake gets into theaters on a weekend with little family-friendly competition, given that the hits The Secret Life of Pets and Finding Dory are both late in their runs. Expect Pete's Dragon to take in somewhere around $25 million.
The next new release is Sausage Party, the crude-humored R-rated animated comedy from producer Seth Rogen. The raunchy romp is getting positive reviews from critics and will likely draw heavily from the young-male audience. Its projected $15 million opening weekend will probably put it in third place.
The final new release this week is Florence Foster Jenkins, featuring Meryl Streep as a 1930s opera singer. This one is aimed at older audiences and poses no threat to its more commercial competition. It should bring in something less then $10 million for the weekend.
The big question for the weekend is how much Suicide Squad will fall. The film opened huge at the beginning of last weekend, but its business fell off considerably by the end of the weekend. A $45-million looks likely at this point, and although that would be a disappointment for the movie's studio, it would probably be enough for first place.