It’s a battle royale between newcomer Mortal Kombat II and last weekend’s holdover, The Devil Wears Prada 2. According to Deadline, both movies are looking at a $40-42 million weekend, with it really too close to call which comes out on top. Many believe that Mother’s Day will give Prada the edge, but it could easily go either way.
Both movies aren’t performing too far off from what we predicted earlier this week, but I thought Kombat would have the edge. Even if it comes in second place, a $40 million opening would be a major improvement on the $23 million the first one opened at — although business back then was hugely impacted by the pandemic, with it also going day-and-date on HBO Max. Curiously, despite most fans agreeing that the sequel is an improvement on the last one, Mortal Kombat II’s CinemaScore is a modest B, which is actually not as good as the B+ the original received. The sequel, which sees the addition of Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, bounced around the calendar a bit. It was supposed to open in October 2025, but WB, sensing it had a potential summer blockbuster on their hands, opted to give it a higher-profile release as the year’s second big summer movie.
Another movie that’s generating huge business this weekend is Michael, with it looking at a $35 million weekend. That’s pretty huge for a third weekend, with the MJ biopic proving to be a true global phenomenon. Another music-driven movie, the James Cameron-directed Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft, is performing decently with $8 million. But its thunder is being stolen by the Hugh Jackman-led The Sheep Detectives, which — thanks to positive reviews and excellent word-of-mouth (it scored an A-minus CinemaScore) — is looking at a weekend north of $17 million.
We’ll be back tomorrow with a full box office wrap-up!