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The dog days of summer have settled in at the box office, and this weekend’s returns are expected to reflect the seasonal slowdown. Warner Bros.’ horror-thriller Weapons, which surprised with a strong $43.5 million debut last weekend, is on track to hold its lead, with a second weekend gross projected at $25 million. Supported by stellar reviews, an A-minus CinemaScore, and an expansion to 3,450 theaters, Weapons is expected to pass the $90 million domestic milestone by Sunday, having already surpassed $100 million worldwide.

Meanwhile, Universal’s action sequel Nobody 2, a follow-up to the 2021 sleeper hit starring Bob Odenkirk, is expected to make a modest splash with an opening between $9 million and $12 million. By comparison, the original Nobody debuted with $6.8 million during the pandemic’s early recovery phase and went on to gross $27.5 million domestically. This time, Odenkirk’s Hutch Mansell is drawn back into his violent past after stopping a home invasion — igniting a series of events that uncover hidden secrets about both his wife Becca’s (Connie Nielsen) history and his own. While reviews for the sequel have been solid, interest in the vigilante action flick is relatively muted.

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Disney’s Freakier Friday, which opened last weekend at No. 2 with a strong $28.6 million, should hold that position with $10 million to $13 million in its second outing. The Lindsay Lohan–Jamie Lee Curtis body-swap comedy has resonated with family audiences (earning an A CinemaScore), but its early success appears to be front-loaded after an impressive opening day. Still, light competition in the PG market should help the film remain a top-three contender this weekend.

The only other notable release is Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, launching in limited theaters across roughly 300 locations. This A24 crime drama, a modern reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, marks Lee’s first collaboration with Denzel Washington since 2006’s Inside Man. The film also features an eclectic supporting cast that includes A$AP Rocky, Jeffrey Wright, and Ice Spice. Strong reviews could pave the way for a broader rollout in the coming weeks.

Overall, the weekend is shaping up to be a quiet one at the box office, with revenues projected to fall below $100 million for only the second time since May, landing somewhere in the mid-to-high $70 million range. Holdovers The Fantastic Four: First Steps and The Bad Guys 2 are expected to round out the box-office top five with $9 million and $6.5 million, respectively.

NEW RELEASES

Nobody 2
Director: Timo Tjahjanto
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Suburban dad Hutch Mansell, a former lethal assassin, is pulled back into his violent past after thwarting a home invasion, setting off a chain of events that unravels secrets about his wife Becca’s past and his own. The action comedy has a running time of one hour, 29 minutes, and is rated R. Nobody 2 is certified “fresh” with an 82 percent score per the aggregated critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes; “mixed” reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 59 percent.

Highest 2 Lowest
Director: Spike Lee
Distributor: A24
When a titan music mogul is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma. The dramatic thriller has a running time of two hours, 13 minutes, and is rated R. Highest 2 Lowest is certified “fresh” with an 91 percent score per the aggregated critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes; “generally favorable” reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 73 percent.

Here are Gold Derby’s predicted box-office rankings for the top five over the Aug. 15-17 weekend:

1. Weapons
2. Freakier Friday
3. Nobody 2
4. The Fantastic Four: First Steps
5. The Bad Guys 2

Do you agree or disagree with those rankings? Make your predictions right now — it’s fun and easy! 

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