It’ll be a busy weekend at the box office, with Goosebumps, Crimson Peak, and Bridge of Spies all set to make their debut.
The PG-rated Goosebumps, based on the bestselling book series by R.L. Stine, is expected to top the list of new releases, and the only question is exactly how high it will go — and whether it will manage to dethrone The Martian, which is entering its third weekend.
Here’s how this weekend’s box office race might play out:
1. The Martian — $24 million
After two weekends at No. 1, Ridley Scott’s The Martian is expected to have a strong third showing. So far, it’s performed similarly to 2013’s Gravity and last year’s Interstellar, and if it keeps that trend up, it should drop about 35 percent for a third weekend of about $24 million. There’s a chance that Goosebumps could open above expectations and snap The Martian’s winning streak, but even if it does, The Martian is still having a stellar run, having grossed more than $119.7 million domestically.
2. Goosebumps — $22 million
Reviews for Rob Letterman’s Goosebumps have been pretty solid, and so far, the horror-comedy, which stars Jack Black, has scared up a 73 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Most tracking indicates that Goosebumps will open between $20 and $25 million, but Sony is reportedly predicting a more cautious $12 to $15 million, while other predictions stretch as high as $29 million. Goosebumps won’t see much PG-rated competition from Pan, which had a dismal opening last weekend, but Hotel Transylvania 2 is still holding strong as it enters its fourth weekend.
3. Bridge of Spies — $17 million
Steven Spielberg’s Cold War drama, which stars Tom Hanks as a lawyer negotiating the release of a downed American pilot, is opening in 2,811 theaters. It’s “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes with a 92 percent rating, and although it’s only expected to open in the mid to high-teens, strong reviews should give Bridge of Spies long legs.
4. Crimson Peak — $15 million
Guillermo del Toro’s creepy gothic thriller is opening in 2,983 theaters, and although reviews have been mixed, with a 64 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Crimson Peak is eyeing a debut in the mid-teens. Crimson Peak stars Mia Wasikowska as a young woman who moves into her new husband’s (Tom Hiddleston) sinister ancestral home.
5. Hotel Transylvania 2 — $12 million
Now entering its fourth weekend, Hotel Transylvania 2 has racked up more than $123 million domestically after setting a new record for the largest September opening of all time. It’s performed almost identically to the original 2012 Hotel Transylvania, which also stars Adam Sandler as Dracula, but it should see a steeper drop of about 40 percent this weekend as Goosebumps cuts into the family audience.
Woodlawn is also opening, and the faith-based drama, which stars Jon Voight and Sean Astin and follows the true story of a 1970s high school football team, is eyeing a debut between $2 and $4 million.
At the specialty box office, Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs will expand from four theaters to 60. Last weekend, it made $521,522 for a per-theater average of $130,381, the best of the year and the 15th best theater average of all time. Steve Jobs will go wide on Oct. 23.
The Robert Redford-Cate Blanchett drama Truth, about the Dan Rather CBS scandal, and Room, which stars Brie Larson as a young woman kidnapped and held in captivity with her 5-year-old son, will also open in limited release. Beasts of No Nation is also opening in theaters and debuting on Netflix on the same day.