What will be the winners and the losers this week at the U.S. box office? Walt Disney Studios’ “Moana 2” continued shattering box records last week, but faces new competition from “Kraven the Hunter” and “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.” The newcomers will be facing off against the current top five money-makers: “Moana 2,” “Wicked,” “Gladiator II,” “Pushpa 2 — The Rule,” and “Red One.”
Gold Derby predicts that “Moana 2” will win the Dec. 13 – Dec. 15 weekend with between $25 million – $50 million domestically. “Wicked” is the runner-up choice of our odds-makers. Do you agree or disagree with those rankings? Make your predictions right now — it’s fun and easy! Join the box office discussion in our forums.
NEW RELEASES
“Kraven the Hunter” (dir. J.C. Chandor): Kraven’s complex relationship with his ruthless father, Nikolai Kravinoff, starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared. The superhero film starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson has a running time of two hours, seven minutes, and is rated R.
“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrum” (dir. Kenji Kamiyama): A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan, and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg. The anime fantasy film has a running time of two hours, 14 minutes, and is rated PG-13.
BOX OFFICE PREDICTIONS
Box office pundits are predicting “Moana 2” will continue to wash over the competition for another week. While “Wicked” holds strong in second place, neither of this week’s debuts look all that promising. Variety reports that “Kraven the Hunter” is set to land between $13 million and $15 million in its opening weekend, which may be good for third place, but isn’t great news for the Sony Pictures film that reportedly cost well over $100 million to produce. Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” tested audiences overseas before coming stateside, and was only able to take in around $2 million. Could both be headed for a box office bomb?
Here are Gold Derby’s current box office rankings for the top five:
1. “Moana 2”
2. “Wicked”
3. “Kraven the Hunter”
4. “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim”
5. “Gladiator II”
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