“The House With a Clock in Its Walls” is on its way to a No. 1 debut at the box office with an estimated $24 million from 3,592 North American locations.
The remaining top five slots should go to box office holdovers, with three other R-rated films opening in the $1 million to $3 million range.
“House” stars Cate Blanchett and Jack Black as an eccentric witch and warlock who live next door to each other and who play host to 10-year-old Lewis (Owen Vaccaro), who goes to live with his Uncle Jonathan (Black) in Michigan after his parents die. Eli Roth directed the fantasy pic from a script by Eric Kripke, adapted from the children’s book of the same name by John Bellairs. The Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment film is coming in above earlier estimates, which had placed it in the $18 million to $20 million range. It took in an estimated $7.8 million on Friday.
The second weekend of “A Simple Favor” and the third frame of “The Nun” should compete for second place, with an estimated $10 million and $9 million, respectively. Lionsgate’s neo-noir starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick has tallied $29 million since its debut, including $3 million internationally. Warner Bros.’ horror pic has earned $93 million domestically and an additional $144 million overseas for a cume of $238 million.
Fox’s “The Predator” could also come out ahead of “Favor” or “Nun,” with an estimated $8 million in its second weekend for a domestic total of around $40 million. The fourth film in the “Predator” franchise opened to $24.6 million and has earned an additional $35 million overseas.
“Crazy Rich Asians,” from Warner Bros., continues to be a top earner with an estimated $6 million landing it in fifth place for the weekend. Starring Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, and Ken Jeong, “Crazy Rich Asians” has been a surprise blockbuster and has earned $154.7 million since its debut.
Michael Moore’s latest documentary, “Fahrenheit 11/9,” should earn about $3.13 million from 1,719 locations in its debut, far below initial estimates in the $5 million to $8 million range. The film, which had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, chronicles the 2016 presidency and subsequent Trump administration. It has an 80% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an A CinemaScore. Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11,” which centered on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, is the highest-grossing doc of all time, launching to $23 million on its way to $222 million worldwide.
“This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman’s “Life Itself” is on its way to a roughly $2.1 million debut from 2,609 cinemas. The film faces an uphill battle after receiving hilariously bad reviews — it’s currently sitting at a 13% on Rotten Tomatoes and received a B+ CinemaScore. Oscar Isaac, Olivia Wilde, Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas, and Mandy Patinkin star in the Amazon film, which premiered at Toronto.
Black comedy “Assassination Nation” is debuting at 1,403 domestic sites this weekend for an estimated $1.1 million. The Neon film centers on four high school girls who must band together to survive when their small town descends into chaos after a data hack destroys everyone’s privacy. Suki Waterhouse, Hari Nef, Odessa Young, and Abra star along with Bella Thorne, Bill Skarsgard, and Joel McHale. Sam Levinson directed the film from his own script.
Keira Knightley’s “Colette” opened in a limited release at four theaters for a $150,000 take. Knightley stars as the French literary icon Colette, who begins her career publishing under her husband’s name, but eventually decides she wants independence. Wash Westmoreland directed the film from a script he wrote with Rebecca Lenkiewicz and Richard Glatzer. Bleecker Street and 30West are handling U.S. distribution, with Lionsgate overseeing international rights.
Venice Film Festival hit “The Sisters Brothers” is also debuting at four locations to an estimated $110,000. The film earned $37,519 on Friday for Annapurna. Jacques Audiard directed the Western, which stars John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix, from a script co-written by himself and Thomas Bidegain. Reilly and Phoenix star as two hitmen searching for a chemist who possesses a secret formula to prospecting gold that’s wanted by their boss.