'Detective Pikachu' Early Projections Tease Huge Box Office Opening

Detective Pikachu is the first live-action outing for the Pokemon franchise, and is the first distinctly Western film based on the series. This has gotten a lot of attention from fans of the original games, anime, and fans of star Ryan Reynolds. Naturally with all of this attention, the film seemed like it was on track for a huge breakthrough in the box office.

A report from BoxOffice Pro claims that long range tracking numbers place Detective Pikachu's opening weekend earning somewhere between $75 to $90 million USD, with a prospective $250 million USD gross overall.

These numbers are for the domestic release of the film, so they do not factor in any foreign markets. If these domestic totals are anywhere near the official totals upon release, then Detective Pikachu is gearing up for a huge opening weekend at the box office.

BoxOffice Pro details some of the factors that went into their projections such as brand recognition, social media response to every new trailer for the film, Ryan Reynolds' star power, Pokemon: The First Movie's box office performance (before Pokemon became as huge of a success as it is today), but they are hesitant considering when the film hits.

Detective Pikachu is currently on track for a release May 10, and that puts it in the same range as Avengers: Endgame and Disney's Aladdin. There's a question of whether or not the film will have enough breathing room to make as big of an impact as these projections suggest. There are many variables still making projections at this stage unclear, but a $75-90 million USD opening projection is a good sign for the film's success.

Directed by Rob Letterman, and co-written by Nicole Perlman, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is currently scheduled for a release on May 10. The film stars Ryan Reynolds (as the voice of the titular Pikachu), Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Ken Watanabe, Khary Payton, Bill Nighy, Suki Waterhouse, Chris Geere, Rita Ora, and Omar Chaparro. The official synopsis for Pokemon: Detective Pikachu reads as such:

"The story begins when ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu: a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to communicate with one another, Tim and Pikachu join forces on a thrilling adventure to unravel the tangled mystery.

Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City—a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world—they encounter a diverse cast of Pokémon characters and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe."

via BoxOffice Pro