A total of under $30 million will be enough to claim the top box office spot this weekend for Warner Bros.’ critically-acclaimed “Dunkirk,” which is performing extremely well in its second weekend as it goes head-to-head against Columbia/Sony Animation’s “The Emoji Movie,” which could win the weekend despite being the most panned film of the summer.
After making $50.5 million in its opening, “Dunkirk” could post a drop-off of below 50 percent, with industry estimates currently putting the World War II movie’s second weekend total at $27.5 million. The combination of critical acclaim, IMAX support and interest from multiple demographics has helped the film’s potential for long-term success, as the film could potentially cross the $100 million domestic mark with its 10-day total.
Also, if the final total for the weekend is above $25 million, “Dunkirk” would become the second film this summer to win the No. 1 spot in its opening weekend and then make more than half its bow in the following weekend. The other film to do that is WB’s other big hit, “Wonder Woman,” which made $103 million in its opening and then only dropped 43 percent its second weekend to make $58.5 million. “Wonder Woman” should reach $400 million domestic by the end of next weekend, as it is currently holding a total of $393 million.
Meanwhile, “The Emoji Movie” is neck-and-neck with “Dunkirk,” with estimates putting its opening weekend at $27.1 million after a $10 million Friday from 4,075 screens. That puts it well above Sony’s pre-weekend target of a $20 million debut against a $50 million budget. The animated movie has been able to do this despite abysmal critical reception, with only two positive reviews out of 35 submitted on Rotten Tomatoes, giving it a Tomatometer score of just 6 percent. CinemaScore has been just as bad, with audiences giving it a B in a survey system that usually gives an A or A- to animated movies. Kids helped buoy the film’s grade, with under-18 audiences giving the film an A-.
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Meanwhile, another close race is going on for the No. 3 spot between two women-powered films released from under the Universal banner. The other new release of the weekend, Focus Features and Sierra/Affinity’s “Atomic Blonde,” is looking at an opening of $18.3 million from 3,304 screens, slightly below studio projections for $20 million. Starring Charlize Theron, the action film also has a B on CinemaScore but has a far better RT rating with 74 percent. Meanwhile, Universal’s “Girls Trip” is holding very well after its $31.2 million opening with an estimated $19.5 million second weekend, a drop-off of just 37 percent and still higher than any opening weekend for any other comedy in 2017.
Rounding out the top five is “Spider-Man: Homecoming” with an estimated $13.7 million in its fourth week, which would put it over the $275 million domestic mark. That pushes “War for the Planet of the Apes” out of the top five in its third weekend. That film has an estimated weekend total of $10,4 million, which would bring its cume to $118 million. By comparison, 2014’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” made $172.4 million after three weekends.