Weekend Box Office Predictions: September 27th, 2024 - September 29th, 2024

A week after the softer than expected start of Transformers One, the family marketplace will look to turn it around this weekend with the release of Universal and DreamWorks Animation's The Wild Robot. The computer animated adaptation of The Wild Robot book series was directed by Chris Sanders and includes the vocal talents of Lupita Nyong'o and Pedro Pascal. The Wild Robot is playing in 3,962 locations this weekend and has Thursday preview shows starting early at 2PM. The Wild Robot is splitting IMAX screens this weekend with fellow new release Megalopolis. Critical reviews for The Wild Robot have been especially strong. Heading into September, there seemed to be a debate as to whether Transformers One or The Wild Robot would have the larger opening weekend debut (though The Wild Robot was always the favorite to have better holding power after opening weekend). But after last weekend's start for Transformers One, it appears to be all but guaranteed that The Wild Robot will have the larger opening weekend between the two films. And while it's only natural to want to scale back expectations the weekend after another film has a softer than expected start, if anything the under-performance of Transformers One will only leave even more room in the marketplace for The Wild Robot to potentially break-out with family audiences this weekend. BoxOfficeReport is predicting that The Wild Robot will debut with $35.5 million this weekend and that the film will have an excellent chance of holding up well in the weeks ahead.

After unexpectedly topping the box office for a third consecutive frame last weekend (with $25.94 million), Warner Bros.'s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is set to place in second this weekend. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice declined a sizable 49.5 percent last weekend, due in part to losing its IMAX screens. With the loss of IMAX screens now out of the way, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice should stabilize further this weekend. However, that stabilization (and this weekend's marketplace in general) will be limited a bit by Hurricane Helene affecting Florida and Georgia. Look for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to decline a solid 40.2 percent from last weekend to take in $15.5 million this weekend. That would bring the film to the brink of the $250 million domestic mark.
Last weekend saw Paramount's Transformers One debut in second place with $24.61 million. While Transformers One has gone over well with critics and audience alike (the film received a strong A rating on CinemaScore), the film's initial daily holds thus far have been concerning going forward. On top of the initial built-in front-loading, Transformers One will obviously be facing tough new direct competition for family audiences from The Wild Robot and as part of that new competition, Transformers One will also be losing its IMAX screens this weekend. With everything in mind, Transformers One is likely to experience a sharp second weekend decline this weekend. Transformers One could fall 64.2 percent this weekend to land in third place with $8.8 million.

Meanwhile, Prathyangira Cinemas and Hamsini Entertainment's release of Devara: Part 1 looks to be the latest film from India to make a significant impact at the domestic box office. The Telugu-language action epic was directed by Koratala Siva and stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr (of RRR fame), Saif Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor. Prathyangira Cinemas has had earlier success this year with the release of Kalki 2898 AD back in June and more recently, the release of Stree 2 in August. According to Prathyangira Cinemas, Thursday's preview gross for Devara: Part 1 has already reached $2.7 million as of publishing (and that figure could still inch a bit higher before the end of the night). Devara: Part 1 will no doubt be quite front-loaded towards Thursday's preview gross this weekend, but the size of Thursday's preview gross is still a good sign for the rest of the weekend. After a $3.9 million Wednesday preview gross, Kalki 2898 AD went on to have a four-day start of $11.23 million (with $5.67 million of that total coming from the 3-day weekend itself). Devara: Part 1 could debut with $6.7 million this weekend (including Thursday's preview gross).

Also entering the marketplace this weekend is Lionsgate's release of Megalopolis. The long-awaited (and pricey) sci-fi epic from director Francis Ford Coppola features an ensemble cast that includes Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight and Laurence Fishburne (among others). Half-jokingly, it feels like I've been hearing about plans for Megalopolis for about as long as I can remember, as Coppola has wanted to make Megalopolis for decades. Megalopolis finally arrives in theatres this weekend, as the film will open in 1,854 locations, has Thursday preview shows beginning at 6PM and as mentioned, will be sharing IMAX screens with The Wild Robot. Critical reviews for Megalopolis have been mixed, with there also being a love it or hate it element as part of the mixed reviews. After the very long wait, there should be at least somewhat of an audience for Megalopolis this weekend, but the film's relatively modest location count and mixed reviews will also likely limit this weekend's performance. There is also the potential for Megalopolis to be especially front-loaded in general. As for this weekend, BoxOfficeReport is predicting that Megalopolis will round out this weekend's top five with $5.9 million. It should also be noted that Lionsgate is only releasing Megalopolis and wasn’t involved in the financing (or creation) of the film.

Read more at BoxOfficeReport.com.