‘Aquaman’ to Win Opening Weekend at the Box Office

Aquaman is set to conquer its first weekend at the box office.

Aquaman is currently on track for a $68 million opening weekend, well ahead of fellow openers Bumblebee and Mary Poppins Returns.

The latest DC Extended Universe movie earned approximately $28 million on Friday, including $13.7 million from Thursday previews. The film has already earned $332 million overseas. The film was made with a $200 million production budget.

The Transformers spinoff and the Mary Poppins sequel are neck and neck for the second place spot, with Bumblebee currently on track for a $22.6 million opening and Mary Poppins Returns set to earn $22.3 million this weekend.

Bumblebee is the sixth Transformers movie and the first standalone spin-off. The prequel takes place in the 1980s, which is when the franchise was born as a toy line and television cartoon. The film honors that history by having its Transformers look much more like the original cartoon and toy designs than the Michael Bay-directed films did. The film is also the strongest reviewed of all the Transformers movies, carrying a 94 percent fresh rating from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Hailee Steinfeld is the film’s live-action lead, with Dylan O’Brien providing the voice of Bumblebee.

Mary Poppins Returns is a sequel to Mary Poppins, the beloved Disney film from 1964. Emily Blunt plays the iconic title role. The film opened earlier this week. Its total now stands at about $31 million. The film cost $130 million to make.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which topped the box office last weekend, slides into fourth place this weekend. The first animated Spider-Man film has been praised by fans and critics. It is expected to earn another $17.9 million this weekend, bringing its box office total to $66 million.

What are you seeing at the theater this weekend? Let us know in the comments, and keep reading to see this weekend’s box office top ten.

1. Aquaman

Opening Weekend
Friday: $27.7 million
Weekend: $68.8 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.

2. Bumblebee

Opening Weekend
Friday: $8.3 million
Weekend: $22.6 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.

3. Mary Poppins Returns

Opening Weekend
Friday: $6.9 million
Weekend: $22.3 million
Total: $31 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.

4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Week Two
Friday: $5.1 million
Weekend: $17.9 million
Total: $66 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.

5. The Mule

Week Two
Friday: $2.8 million
Weekend: $10.7 million
Total: $36.4 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. 

6. Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch

Week Seven
Friday: $2.3 million
Weekend: $9 million
Total: $254 million

The Grinch and his loyal dog, Max, live a solitary existence inside a cave on Mount Crumpet. His main source of aggravation comes during Christmastime when his neighbors in Whoville celebrate the holidays with a bang. When the Whos decide to make Christmas bigger and brighter, the disgruntled Grinch realizes there is one way to gain peace and quiet. With help from Max, the green grump hatches a scheme to pose as Santa Claus, steal Christmas and silence the Whos’ holiday cheer once and for all.

The Grinch is directed by Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier, written by Michael LeSieur and Tommy Swerdlow, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Cameron Seely, and Angela Lansbury.

7 . Second Act

Opening Weekend
Friday: $2.5 million
Weekend: $7.1 million

Value Shop assistant manager Maya Vargas wants only one thing for her 43rd birthday — a promotion. While her résumé may not scream upper management, her track record certainly does. Vargas is an innovator who listens to her customers and delivers results. When she loses the job to a college-educated candidate, Maya sets out to prove to Madison Avenue that street smarts are as valuable as book smarts — and it’s never too late for a second act.

Second Act is directed by Peter Segal and written by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Justin Zackham. The film stars Jennifer Lopez, Vanessa Hudgens, Leah Remini, Annaleigh Ashford, Dan Bucatinsky, Freddie Stroma, Milo Ventimiglia, Treat Williams, and Larry Miller, 

8. Ralph Breaks the Internet

Week Five
Friday: $1.3 million
Weekend: $4.8 million
Total: $162.2 million

Video game bad guy Ralph and fellow misfit Vanellope von Schweetz must risk it all by traveling to the World Wide Web in search of a replacement part to save Vanellope’s video game, “Sugar Rush.” In way over their heads, Ralph and Vanellope rely on the citizens of the internet — the netizens — to help navigate their way, including an entrepreneur named Yesss, who is the head algorithm and the heart and soul of trend-making site BuzzzTube.

Ralph Breaks the Internet is directed by Rich Moore and Phil Johnston, written by Johnston and Pamela Ribon, and stars John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Ed O’Neill, Alan Tudyk, Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson, and Alfred Molina.

9. Welcome to Marwen

Opening Weekend
Friday: $927,000
Weekend: $3 million

When a devastating attack shatters Mark Hogancamp (Steve Carell) and wipes away all memories, no one expected recovery. Putting together pieces from his old and new life, Mark meticulously creates a wondrous town where he can heal and be heroic. As he builds an astonishing art installation—a testament to the most powerful women he knows—through his fantasy world, he draws strength to triumph in the real one. In a bold, wondrous and timely film, Welcome to Marwen shows that when your only weapon is your imagination…you’ll find courage in the most unexpected place.

Welcome to Marwen is directed by Robert Zemeckis, and co-written by Zemeckis and Caroline Thompson, inspired by the 2010 documentary Marwencol. The film stars Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Diane Kruger, Merritt Wever, Janelle Monáe, Eiza González, Gwendoline Christie, Leslie Zemeckis, and Neil Jackson.

10. Mary Queen of Scots

Week Three
Friday: $691,000
Weekend: $2.2 million
Total: $3.5 million

Queen of France at 16 and widowed at 18, Mary Stuart defies pressure to remarry. Instead, she returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. But Scotland and England fall under the rule of the compelling Elizabeth I. Each young Queen beholds her sister in fear and fascination. Rivals in power and in love, and female regents in a masculine world, the two must decide how to play the game of marriage versus independence.

Mary, Queen of Scots is directed by Josie Rourke and written by Beau Willimon, based on John Guy’s biography Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart. The film stars Saoirse Ronan as Mary, Queen of Scots and Margot Robbie as her cousin Queen Elizabeth I, as well as Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn, David Tennant, and Guy Pearce.