‘Nowโ You See Me: Now You Don’t’ Projected to Open โNo. 1 withโ $21M-$24M
Lionsgate‘s Nowโค You see Me: Now You don’t is tracking forโ a domestic opening of $21 million to $24 million, positioning it โfor the No. 1 spotโ at the box office this weekend. The film is aiming for โbroad appeal, targeting both date night audiences and families, a strategy reflected in its PG-13 rating-a contrast to the R-rating of competitor Running Man.
the thirdโค installment inโฃ the Now You โขSee Me franchise โcarries significantโข financial weight, having cost over $90 โmillion in production costs before marketing and distribution expenses (P&A).Lionsgate, known for licensingโข foreign rights to fund its productions, will beโข closely watching international performance, as the โprevious two films generated 67% to 80% of theirโค global boxโ office revenue abroad.
In comparison,โ previewsโค for Running Man are aligning โwith those of Neon’s โค The Monkey, which โgrossed $1.9 million in previews before reaching $5.8 โmillion on its opening Friday โคand a $14 million three-day total. Running Man‘s previewsโข fall considerably โbelow those of โ Tron: Ares,which debutedโ last month with aโข $14.4 million Friday and aโค $33.2 million three-day opening.
The original Running Man, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, openedโ to $8.1 million (unadjustedโข for inflation) in the same mid-November โขslot in 1987, ultimatelyโ grossing $38.1 million domestically from a $27โ million production budget and โreceiving โa B+ CinemaScore. It held the No.1 position for two weekends before being overtaken by Disney/touchstone’sโ Three Men and a Baby during the Thanksgiving โคholiday.
Despite the competitiveโฃ landscape, industry analysts emphasize that box office success is a marathon, not a โsprint, particularly withโค the โThanksgiving holiday approaching in two โweeks. Meanwhile, 20th Century Studios’ Predator: Badlands โearned an estimatedโค $1.7 โขmillionโ yesterday (down 26% from Wednesday) for a first-week total of $53.2 million and is expected to โdecline 60% โคin its second weekend,typical โคfor the genre.