Weekend Box Office: 'Arrival' Arrives

Americans exhausted from the brutal presidential campaign will no doubt welcome some escapism this weekend. Fortunately, there are plenty of new movies--and hot hold-overs--in theaters this week to give them something to take their minds off the state of the real world.

The biggest of this week's new wide release is likely to be Arrival, a sci-fi flick starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. This one is getting good reviews ahead of its release, and since it has a relatively small production budget, it has a decent chance of being financially successful. It will have to compete with last week's number-one movie, though, and the second week of Doctor Strange will probably take a lot of the wind out of Arrival's sails. Look for a debut somewhere between $15 and $20 million.

Also new this week is Shut In, a low-budget supernatural thriller starring Naomi Watts. This one is probably going to get lost in the crowd, so don't expect it to pull in more than $10 million.

The week's final new wide release is Almost Christmas, a holiday-themed comedy starring Kimberly Elise and Omar Epps. There are modest expectations for this one, and it will likely pull in about $15 million.

The weekend will almost certainly go to Doctor Strange, which grossed $85 million last weekend. Last week's number-two movie, the animated Trolls, is looking to take second place again this week.