Disney's Haunted Mansion Eyeing $30 Million Opening Weekend

Disney is bringing one of its most iconic rides to the big screen for the second time, in the hopes that this new take on Haunted Mansion will resonate better with audiences than the 2003 Eddie Murphy film. Directed by Justin Simien and boasting an all-star cast led by LaKeith Stanfield, Disney's Haunted Mansion opens in theaters around the country this weekend. Unfortunately, Haunted Mansion is arriving just a few days after the biggest theatrical event in years, and Barbenheimer is showing no signs of slowing down.

Barbie and Oppenheimer dominated theaters this past weekend, breaking records and setting both films up to be enormous success stories. This weekend, Barbie will still be the most dominant force in theaters, and it will likely hinder the box office totals for Haunted Mansion.

According to Variety, the latest box office projections estimate Haunted Mansion will earn between $25 million and $30 million over the course of its opening weekend. While that's not a terrible opening for the Disney movie, it might only place third overall this weekend, behind both Barbie and Oppenheimer. Barbie is projected to earn up to $85 million, while Oppenheimer could take in between $35 million and $45 million.

Like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Haunted Mansion also runs into the issue of trying to make back a substantial budget. The film cost $150 million to produce and that doesn't include its marketing campaign. It'll be an uphill battle for Haunted Mansion to actually make its money back in the wake of Barbie and Oppenheimer.

Haunted Mansion Sequel Potential

If Disney's new Haunted Mansion does find a way to break through and succeed at the box office, fans will automatically start wondering if a sequel is on the way. Disney has already had a long-running ride-turned-movie franchise in Pirates of the Caribbean, and Jungle Cruise is supposed to have its own sequel in the works.

Haunted Mansion director Justin Simien told ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis that there are absolutely ways a sequel can work, and that the film itself leaves the door open for the possibilities. 

"It definitely leaves a door open for more and for other spaces where, you know, ghosts might materialize," Simien explained.

Haunted Mansion Cast

LaKeith Stanfield leads and all-star Haunted Mansion cast that also includes Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Chase W. Dillon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jared Leto, Winona Ryder, Hasan Minhaj, and Dan Levy amongst others.

Disney's Haunted Mansion arrives in theaters everywhere on July 28th.