'Aquaman' & 'Mary Poppins Returns' Set for Massive Holiday Box Office Battle

If you're planning on heading out to the theaters to see a movie over the holidays, be prepared to be overwhelmed with options. In addition to Thanksgiving releases Ralph Breaks the Internet and Creed II, and the buzz-heavy animated Marvel flick Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, there are three major movies set to duke it out at the box office the week before Christmas.

On Wednesday, December 19th, Disney's Mary Poppins Returns hits theaters for an extended weekend outing. Two days later, on December 21st, Warner Bros. and DC's Aquaman arrives alongside Paramount's Transformers spin-off movie, Bumblebee. All three have garnered positive buzz ahead of their release, and they are preparing to do battle over what is looking like a monster holiday box office.

According to early tracking reports (per Deadline), Mary Poppins Returns is eyeing a $70 million plus debut in its opening week. It has the legs of a Disney classic behind it, and the promise of family-friendly fare, plus the extra two days in theaters before the other movies arrive. Director Rob Marshall has had success over this holiday weekend in the past, as his 2014 Into the Woods adaptation earned $64 million.

As of now, Aquaman is looking at an opening haul between $60 and $70 million. That may be lower than previous DC films, like Justice League, but it's facing the stiff competition of Mary Poppins. There are also some rival studios who believe that the movie could top $100 million fairly quickly. The way the box office picks up after Christmas, Aquaman should have no trouble making up its $160 million budget in North America alone. The film will get another small boost in the form of early screenings with Amazon on December 15th.

Paramount's Bumblebee will come in third place, but still looks to have a solid opening. Tracking reports suggest a debut around $40 million for the new Transformers film, in addition to whatever it makes during its one-day preview on December 8th. This is much lower than the previous Transformers movies, but Bumblebee was made with a significantly smaller budget, and is building more positive buzz than the majority of its predecessors.

How do you think the Christmas box office will shake out? Could Aquaman top Mary Poppins Returns? Let us know in the comments!

Mary Poppins Returns is set to hit theaters on December 19th, while Aquaman and Bumblebee arrive on December 21st.