Tyler Perry’s “Boo 2! A Madea Halloween” scared up $760,000 at Thursday previews.
The Lionsgate release is projected to top this weekend box office with $20 million to $22 million from 2,500 locations, with Lionsgate projecting a start on the lower end of that range.
That would be a step down from the $28 million opening for last year’s “Boo!,” which opened to $855,000 at the Thursday previews and went on to gross $73 million. But with a reported budget of $20 million, this will still be a strong opening for Perry’s ninth Madea film, which he wrote and directed.
Sony’s “Only the Brave” earned $305,000 at the Thursday box office, on track to gross $6 million this weekend. Produced for $38 million, director Joseph Kosinski’s film stars Josh Brolin, Miles Teller and Jeff Bridges as members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, an elite firefighter team that battled a wildfire in Yarnell, Arizona in 2013.
The movie has received solid reviews so far: On Rotten Tomatoes, “Only the Brave” holds a score of 89 percent.
Michael Fassbender’s thriller “The Snowman” grossed $270,000 in late night showings. The Universal and Working Title film is projected for a $10 million opening from 1,813 screens against a $35 million budget.
Critics have mostly panned director Tomas Alfredson’s thriller, based on the best-selling Jo Nesbø novel, giving it a 11 percent Rotten Tomatoes score.
Fassbender and Rebecca Ferguson star as a pair of detectives tasked with finding a dangerous serial killer.
But the crowded weekend doesn’t end there. “Geostorm,” directed by Dean Devlin from a script he co-wrote with Paul Guyot, stars Gerard Butler as the creator of a climate-controlling satellite system who must go into space to fix it before it triggers a worldwide wave of natural disasters. Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish and Ed Harris also star.
“Geostorm” is expected to contend with “Happy Death Day” for second place this weekend, with an opening in the mid-teens. It had a reported budget of $80 million before reshoots.
“Geostorm” has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 29 percent.
7 Biggest Fall Box Office Showdowns, Including 'Ninjago' vs 'Kingsman' (Photos)
"Thor: Ragnarok," "Justice League" and "Star Wars" will surely dominate the box office in the remaining months of 2017. But along with those would-be blockbusters are several smaller films competing for moviegoers' attention. Here are the seven head-to-head box office showdowns to look out for this fall.
Sept. 15: “mother!” vs. “American Assassin”: If its trailer and NSFW poster are any indication, Darren Aronofsky’s horror show looks like its going to be as terrifying and unforgiving a movie as one can expect. While critical acclaim could give it a boost, “American Assassin” has more crowd pleasing elements with “Teen Wolf” star Dylan O’Brien in the lead, and a story based on Vince Flynn’s best-selling Mitch Rapp novels.
Sept. 22: "The Lego Ninjago Movie" vs. "Kingsman the Golden Circle": Like its "Lego Movie" predecessors, "Ninjago" should be a big draw for family audiences who haven't had a major film for them since "Despicable Me 3" and "The Emoji Movie." Facing it is the R-rated "Kingsman" sequel, which will aim to turn the cult following its predecessor earned into a strong opening.
Sept. 29:"Flatliners" vs. "American Made": After starring in the critically maligned "Mummy" remake this summer, Tom Cruise will star in "American Made," which tells the true story of an an airline pilot who becomes a drug smuggler and later a DEA informant. Facing it will be Columbia's "Flatliners," a sequel to the 1990 cult hit about experiments that induce near-death experiences.
Oct. 20: "Only the Brave" vs. "Geostorm" vs. "The Snowman" vs. "Boo! 2": A quartet of wild card releases hit theaters in the third weekend of October. The one that has the best shot of a strong opening is "Boo! 2," the latest film in Tyler Perry's popular "Madea" series. The first "Boo!" made $28.5 million in its opening weekend.
Oct. 27: "Jigsaw" vs. "Suburbicon": It was only a matter of time before the "Saw" franchise came back to play another game, but after "It," "mother!" and "Happy Death Day" hit theaters, will audiences come back for a fourth helping from an old franchise on Halloween weekend? Against it is Oscar contender "Suburbicon," which features -- get ready -- George Clooney directing Matt Damon, Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac from a script co-written by the Coen Brothers.
Nov. 10: "Daddy's Home 2" vs. "Murder on Orient Express" vs. "Thor: Ragnarok": After posting the worst box office performance of his career with "The House," Will Ferrell will try to do better with a sequel to his 2015 collab with Mark Wahlberg. Kenneth Branagh's star-studded adaptation of Agatha Christie's famous murder mystery novel will also release this weekend, but both could fall to "Thor: Ragnarok," which will be in its second weekend.
Dec. 22: Christmas Releases: Let's be real. All of these holiday weekend releases will be fighting for whatever scraps of moviegoers "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" leaves behind. But "Pitch Perfect 3," the final installment in Kay Cannon's hit musical comedy, has a real shot at a solid opening. Other movies in this group include an adaptation of the TV series "The Six Billion Dollar Man" and Oscar contender "Downsizing," which stars Matt Damon as a man who joins a growing group of people who shrink themselves and join miniature communities.
We know ”Thor: Ragnarok“ will dominate when it opens in November, but here are the most competitive weekends to watch
"Thor: Ragnarok," "Justice League" and "Star Wars" will surely dominate the box office in the remaining months of 2017. But along with those would-be blockbusters are several smaller films competing for moviegoers' attention. Here are the seven head-to-head box office showdowns to look out for this fall.
