Last weekend, Alita: Battle Angel surprised analysts by topping the long, holiday weekend box office with $35.5 million over the four-day stretch. Its reign atop the box office will be very short-lived, as How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is swooping in and looks to draw a big crowd this weekend. Additionally, the (almost) always reliable Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is bringing his latest, Fighting With My Family, to the nation after opening very strong in limited released last weekend.
DreamWorks' How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, the third entry in their very popular and beloved franchise, will win the weekend, with box office projections placing it at around $40 million on the low end and $45 million on the higher end of things. That is right in line with the previous two entries and represents a solid start for the conclusion to this series. This movie, which comes from director Dean DeBlois, benefits from very positive buzz, as it currently sits at a 94 percent approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
With that, Alita: Battle Angel will have to settle for second place. The latest from Robert Rodriguez, which was produced by James Cameron, is an expensive endeavor with a reported $170 million price tag, before marketing. Thus far, it's grossed $140 million worldwide. Unfortunately, the $15 million, give or take, it's expected to take in during its second frame won't do a lot to help it reach profitability. Still, it's performing better than expected.
Related: How to Train Your Dragon 3 Will Be the End of the Franchise
Barring a suspiciously high drop off, or an unexpected overperformance from another title (which isn't out of the question), The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part should take the number three spot with between $10 and $12 million. The sequel has been received quite well with both critics and moviegoers, but is trailing its predecessor quite significantly. So far, the sequel has grossed $105 million since its debut on February 19.
The final two spots in the top five will go to a holdover in Isn't It Romantic and the biopic Fighting with My Family, which chronicles the rise of WWE superstar Paige. The latter is produced by Dwayne Johnson, who also stars as himself during his wrestling days as The Rock. The movie, directed by Stephen Merchant, did very well in limited release last weekend and currently boasts a 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Both movies are eyeing a take in the $8 million neighborhood. Be sure to check out our full list of weekend box office predictions below, and check back with us on Sunday for the weekend estimates. These numbers were provided by Box Office Mojo.
1How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World2Alita: Battle Angel3The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part4Isn't It Romantic5Fighting with My Family6What Men Want7Happy Death Day 2U8The Upside9Cold Pursuit10Green Book
