Doctor Sleep looks to be caught sleeping in its opening weekend at the box office. The sequel to The Shining was expected to take the top spot at the box office. Instead, underpromoted World War II movie Midway looks to soar past it. Midway will open in first place with an estimated $19 million. Doctor Sleep will open in third place with about $12 million. The film is based on Stephen King’s 2013 novel of the same name, itself a sequel King’s 1977 novel The Shining. The film serves as a sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film adaptation of The Shining, weaving together elements from that film and the books.
Doctor Sleep is written and directed by Mike Flanagan. It stars Ewan McGregor as Danny Torrence, who has the psychic gift known as the “shine.” The film also stars Rebecca Ferguson, Kyleigh Curran, and Cliff Curtis.
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Doctor Sleep is the second blockbuster sequel to disappoint in its opening weekend in as many weeks. Terminator: Dark Fate was the other. The film will fall into second place this weekend after a lackluster debut last weekend.
Terminator: Dark Fate is a direct sequel to The Terminator and T2: Judgment Day. It marks the return of James Cameron, who directed those first two films, to the franchise. Cameron contributed to Dark Fate‘s story, which treats the events of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Salvation, Terminator Genisys, and the television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles as having taken place in an alternate timeline.
Terminator: Dark Fate is directed by Tim Miller. It sees Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger returning to their roles from the original film. Hamilton again plays Sarah Connor, now a veteran Terminator hunter. Schwarzenegger plays the T-800 that was sent to kill Sarah Connor in the first film, and then to protect her son in the second. The film also stars Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, and Diego Boneta.
What are you seeing this weekend? Let us know in the comments.
1. Midway
Opening Weekend
Friday: $6.34 million
Weekend: $18.6 million
US soldiers and pilots change the course of World War II during the Battle of Midway in June 1942. The US and Imperial Japanese naval forces fought for four days.
Midway is directed by Roland Emmerich, written by Wes Tooke, and stars Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, and Woody Harrelson.
2. Terminator: Dark Fate
Week Two
Friday: $2.8 million
Weekend: $13.4
Weekend: $40.5 million
In Mexico City, a newly modified liquid Terminator — the Rev-9 model — arrives from the future to kill a young factory worker named Dani Ramos. Also sent back in time is Grace, a hybrid cyborg human who must protect Ramos from the seemingly indestructible robotic assassin. But the two women soon find some much-needed help from a pair of unexpected allies — seasoned warrior Sarah Connor and the T-800 Terminator.
Terminator: Dark Fate is directed by Tim Miller, from a screenplay by David Goyer, Justin Rhodes and Billy Ray, based on a story by James Cameron (marking his return to the franchise), Charles H. Eglee, Josh Friedman, Goyer, and Rhodes. The film is a direct sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The film stars stars Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, and Diego Boneta.
3. Doctor Sleep
Opening Weekend
Friday: $5.2 million
Weekend: $12.6 million
Struggling with alcoholism, Dan Torrance remains traumatized by the sinister events that occurred at the Overlook Hotel when he was a child. His hope for a peaceful existence soon becomes shattered when he meets Abra, a teen who shares his extrasensory gift of the “shine.” Together, they form an unlikely alliance to battle the True Knot, a cult whose members try to feed off the shine of innocents to become immortal.
Doctor Sleep is based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Stephen King, a sequel to King’s 1977 novel The Shining. The film is written and directed by Mike Flanagan and stars Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, and Cliff Curtis.
4. Last Christmas
Opening Weekend
Friday: $4.06 million
Weekend: $11.7 million
A young woman, who has been continuously unlucky, accepts a job as a department store elf during the holidays. When Kate meets Tom on the job, her life takes a turn.
Last Christmas is directed by Paul Feig and written by Bryony Kimmings and Emma Thompson. The film stars Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, and Emma Thompson.
5. Playing With Fire
Opening Weekend
Friday: $3.55 million
Weekend: $11.6 million
When straight-laced fire superintendent Jake Carson and his elite team of firefighters come to the rescue of three siblings, they quickly realize that no amount of training could prepare them for their most challenging job yet — babysitting. As their lives, jobs and depot get turned upside down, the three men soon learn that children — much like fires — are wild and unpredictable.
Playing with Fire directed by Andy Fickman and written by Dan Ewen and Matt Lieberman. The film stars John Cena, Keegan-Michael Key, John Leguizamo, Brianna Hildebrand, Dennis Haysbert, and Judy Greer.
6. Joker
Week Six
Friday: $2.51 million
Weekend: $8.5 million
Total: $306.8 million
Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks — the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he’s part of the world around him. Isolated, bullied and disregarded by society, Fleck begins a slow descent into madness as he transforms into the criminal mastermind known as the Joker.
Joker is directed by Todd Phillips. He co-wrote the film’s screenplay with Scott Silver. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, with Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, and Marc Maron.
7. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Week Four
Friday: $2 million
Weekend: $7.9 million
Total: $91.3 million
A formidable queen causes a rift between Maleficent and Princess Aurora. Together, they must face new allies and enemies in a bid to protect the magical lands which they share.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is the sequel to 2014’s Maleficent. The film is directed by Joachim Rønning and written by Linda Woolverton, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, and Noah Harpster. The film’s cast includes returning stars Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, and Lesley Manville with new additions Harris Dickinson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ed Skrein, and Michelle Pfeiffer.
8. Harriet
Week Two
Friday: $1.75 million
Weekend: $7.3 million
Total: $16.2 million
From her escape from slavery through the dangerous missions she led to liberate hundreds of slaves through the Underground Railroad, the story of heroic abolitionist Harriet Tubman is told.
Harriet is directed by Kasi Lemmons, who co-wrote the film’s screenplay with Gregory Allen Howard. The film stars Cynthia Erivo as Tubman, with Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn, and Janelle Monáe.
9. The Addams Family
Week Five
Friday: $1.5 million
Weekend: $5.1 million
Total: $87.27 million
Members of the mysterious and spooky Addams family — Gomez, Morticia, Pugsley, Wednesday, Uncle Fester and Grandma — are readily preparing for a visit from their even creepier relatives. But trouble soon arises when shady TV personality Margaux Needler realizes that the Addams’ eerie hilltop mansion is standing in the way of her dream to sell all the houses in the neighborhood.
The Addams Family is based on the comics by Charles Addams. The film is directed by Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan, and stars Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Finn Wolfhard, Nick Kroll, Snoop Dogg, Bette Midler, and Allison Janney.
10. Zombieland: Double Tap
Week Four
Friday: $1.75 million
Weekend: $7.35 million
Total: $63.5 million
Zombie slayers Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita and Little Rock square off against the newly evolved undead.
Zombieland: Double Tap is directed by Ruben Fleischer and written by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and David Callaham. The sequel to 2009’s Zombieland stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, and Emma Stone as their characters from the first film, with new additions Rosario Dawson, Zoey Deutch, and Luke Wilson.
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