‘The Upside’ Projected to Knock ‘Aquaman’ out of Top Spot at Box Office

Kevin Hart’s The Upside is set to dethrone Aquaman at the box office.

The Upside will open somewhere in the $19 million to $20 million range. That’s enough to beat Aquaman which, in its fourth weekend, will earn about $15 million to $18 million.

Aquaman is directed by James Wan and stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, the half-human prince of Atlantis he first played in Justice League (after a silent cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice). Aquaman must return to Atlantis to stop his half-brother from leading the underwater kingdoms into open warfare against the surface.

Family adventure film A Dog’s Way Home will open in third place. Sony’s Escape Room and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will compete for fourth place. Escape Room is pacing towards $8.4 million while Into the Spider-Verse is tracking for $7.3 million.

Inspired by the popularity of modern escape games, Escape Room sees six strangers competing to solve a series of puzzles to win $1 million. The stakes are raised significantly when they discover that each room is a death trap that can kill them for real.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the first Spider-Man movie to focus on Miles Morales. Miles learns that there is an entire multiverse of spider-themed heroes like himself, including the Peter Parker of another timeline.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg biopic On the Basis of Sex is also tracking for $7.3 million. Bumblebee and Mary Poppins Returns are in close contention for the seventh-place spot, with both films tracking for just under $6 million this weekend.

Mary Poppins Returns is a sequel to Mary Poppins, the beloved 1964 Disney classic. Emily Blunt plays the iconic title role as Poppins reunites with the Banks children, now adults, after a family tragedy.

Bumblebee is the first Transformers spinoff movie. Set in the 1980s, it sees a young girl discover Bumblebee and the war between Autobots and Decepticons.

What are you seeing at the box office this weekend? Let us know in the comments!

Keep reading to see the top 10 at the box office this weekend.

1. The Upside

Opening Weekend
Friday: $7 million
Weekend: $19.2 million

Phillip is a wealthy quadriplegic who needs a caretaker to help him with his day-to-day routine in his New York penthouse. He decides to hire Dell, a struggling parolee who’s trying to reconnect with his ex and his young son. Despite coming from two different worlds, an unlikely friendship starts to blossom as Dell and Phillip rediscover the joy of living life to the fullest.

The Upside is directed by Neil Burger and written by Jon Hartmere. The film is an American remake of the 2011 French film The Intouchables, which was inspired by the life of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo. The film stars Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston,  Nicole Kidman, Julianna Margulies, and Aja Naomi King.

2. Aquaman

Week Four
Friday: $4.5 million
Weekend: $15.3 million
Total: $285.9 million

Once home to the most advanced civilization on Earth, the city of Atlantis is now an underwater kingdom ruled by the power-hungry King Orm. With a vast army at his disposal, Orm plans to conquer the remaining oceanic people — and then the surface world. Standing in his way is Aquaman, Orm’s half-human, half-Atlantean brother and true heir to the throne. With help from royal counselor Vulko, Aquaman must retrieve the legendary Trident of Atlan and embrace his destiny as protector of the deep.

Aquaman is directed by James Wan, from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall, based on a story by Geoff Johns, Wan and Beall. The film stars Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Nicole Kidman.

3. A Dog’s Way Home

Opening Weekend
Friday: $3.3 million
Weekend: $11.2 million

As a puppy, Bella finds her way into the arms of Lucas, a young man who gives her a good home. When Bella becomes separated from Lucas, she soon finds herself on an epic, 400-mile journey to reunite with her beloved owner. Along the way, the lost but spirited dog touches the lives of an orphaned mountain lion, a down-on-his-luck veteran and some friendly strangers who happen to cross her path.

A Dog’s Way Home is directed by Charles Martin Smith and written W. Bruce Cameron and Cathryn Michon, based Cameron’s book. The film stars Ashley Judd, Edward James Olmos, Alexandra Shipp, Wes Studi, Chris Bauer, Barry Watson, Jonah Hauer-King, and the voice of Bryce Dallas Howard.

4. Escape Room

Week Two
Friday: $2.6 million
Weekend: $8.4 million
Total: $31.9 million

Six adventurous strangers travel to a mysterious building to experience the escape room — a game where players compete to solve a series of puzzles to win $1 million. What starts out as seemingly innocent fun soon turns into a living nightmare as the four men and two women discover each room is an elaborate trap that’s part of a sadistic game of life or death.

Escape Room is directed by Adam Robitel and written by Bragi F. Schut and Maria Melnik, and stars Logan Miller, Deborah Ann Woll, Taylor Russell, Tyler Labine, Jay Ellis, and Nik Dodani, 

5. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Week Five
Friday: $2.1 million
Weekend: $7.3 million
Total: $146 million

Bitten by a radioactive spider in the subway, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales suddenly develops mysterious powers that transform him into the one and only Spider-Man. When he meets Peter Parker, he soon realizes that there are many others who share his special, high-flying talents. Miles must now use his newfound skills to battle the evil Kingpin, a hulking madman who can open portals to other universes and pull different versions of Spider-Man into our world.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman from a screenplay by Phil Lord and Rothman. The film stars Shameik Moore as Miles Morales, with Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Velez, John Mulaney, Nicolas Cage, and Liev Schreiber.

6. On the Basis of Sex

Week Three
Friday: $2.1 million
Weekend: $7.3 million
Total: $10.3 million

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a struggling attorney and new mother who faces adversity and numerous obstacles in her fight for equal rights. When Ruth takes on a groundbreaking tax case with her husband, attorney Martin Ginsburg, she knows it could change the direction of her career and the way the courts view gender discrimination.

Based on the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, On the Basis of Sex is directed by Mimi Leder and written by Daniel Stiepleman. The film stars Felicity Jones as Ginsburg, as well as Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Jack Reynor, Cailee Spaeny, Sam Waterston, and Kathy Bates.

7. Bumblebee

Week Four
Friday: $1.7 million
Weekend: $5.9 million
Total: $107.6 million

On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee the Autobot seeks refuge in a junkyard in a small California beach town. Charlie, on the brink of turning 18 years old and trying to find her place in the world, soon discovers the battle-scarred and broken Bumblebee. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns that this is no ordinary yellow Volkswagen.

Bumblebee is directed by Travis Knight and written by Christina Hodson. The film stars Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Ortiz, Jason Drucker, and Pamela Adlon, as well as the voices of Dylan O’Brien, Peter Cullen, Angela Bassett, and Justin Theroux.

8. Mary Poppins Returns

Week Four
Friday: $1.7 million
Weekend: $5.85 million
Total: $149.2 million

Now an adult with three children, bank teller Michael Banks learns that his house will be repossessed in five days unless he can pay back a loan. His only hope is to find a missing certificate that shows proof of valuable shares that his father left him years earlier. Just as all seems lost, Michael and his sister receive the surprise of a lifetime when Mary Poppins — the beloved nanny from their childhood — arrives to save the day and take the Banks family on a magical, fun-filled adventure.

Mary Poppins Returns is directed by Rob Marshall, from a screenplay written by David Magee based on a story by Magee, Marshall and John DeLuca. The film is based on the book series by P. L. Travers and is a sequel to 1964’s Mary Poppins. The film stars Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth and Meryl Streep in supporting roles.

9. The Mule

Week Five
Friday: $1.7 million
Weekend: $5.5 million
Total: $90.5 million

Broke, alone and facing foreclosure on his business, Earl Stone takes a job as a drug courier for a Mexican cartel. His immediate success leads to easy money and a larger shipment that soon draws the attention of hard-charging DEA agent Colin Bates. When Earl’s past mistakes start to weigh heavily on his conscience, he must decide whether to right those wrongs before law enforcement and cartel thugs catch up to him.

The Mule is produced and directed by Clint Eastwood from a script by Nick Schenk based on The New York Times article “The Sinaloa Cartel’s 90-Year-Old Drug Mule” by Sam Dolnick about the true story of Leo Sharp, a World War II veteran turned drug dealer. The film stars Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Peña, Dianne Wiest, and Andy García. 

10. Vice

Week Three
Friday: $1 million
Weekend: $3.3 million
Total: $36 million

Gov. George W. Bush of Texas picks Dick Cheney, the CEO of Halliburton Co., to be his Republican running mate in the 2000 presidential election. No stranger to politics, Cheney’s impressive résumé includes stints as White House chief of staff, House Minority Whip and defense secretary. When Bush wins by a narrow margin, Cheney begins to use his newfound power to help reshape the country and the world.

Vice is writtena nd directed by Adam McKay. Christian Bale stars as Dick Cheney. The film also stars Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Alison Pill, Lily Rabe and Tyler Perry.