Heading into the year, it felt like a foregone conclusion that a new take on Stephen King would crush. A flashy remake of a movie people like but do not treat as sacred, starring Glen Powell and directed by Edgar Wright? On paper, The Running Man looked like a layup. In practice, not so much.
The weekend at a glance
- Now You See Me, Now You Don’t (Lionsgate) is set to open at $21–24 million and snag the top spot.
- The Running Man is landing around $18 million per Deadline, with some projections saying it may not even hit $16 million.
- Predator: Badlands is eyeing about $13 million in weekend two, a steep 66% drop, but still pacing toward roughly $90 million domestic when all is said and done.
The Running Man trips out of the gate
The buzz just never clicked. Early reactions have been soft, the chatter turned lukewarm, and the opening weekend is reflecting that. Deadline has the debut pegged at around $18 million, with a few forecasts dipping under $16 million. The surprise here is not that it is missing number one; it is how quickly the air went out of the hype considering the King pedigree, Powell’s rising-star moment, and Wright behind the camera. Expectations were high. The audience response? Not so much.
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t pulls off the quiet win
Lionsgate’s magic-heist threequel — the franchise’s first entry in nine years — is sliding into number one with $21–24 million. That is not a blow-the-doors-off opening, but it does not need to be. The budget is modest, these movies historically do stronger business overseas, and the studio could use a clean win right now. This qualifies.
Predator: Badlands cools fast
Last weekend’s champ looks front-loaded, dropping about 66% to roughly $13 million. It is still headed toward around $90 million domestic by the end of its run, but the legs are shorter than hoped.
Audience mood: agreeable, not ecstatic
All three of the weekend’s top titles earned a B+ CinemaScore. Translation: people like them fine, but no one is rushing out to tell their friends to drop everything.
Next up: a boost from Wicked
That leaves a clear runway for next weekend’s Wicked: For Good, which is positioned to finally give the box office a much-needed jolt.
What are you catching this weekend? Tell me in the comments.