I actually had this almost completed when I was laid off from my job. So better late than never. These are all domestic predictions.
1. AVENGERS: ENDGAME - $800 million - Yeah, we all knew this would be big, like "gross $1.2 billion worldwide on opening weekend" big. It will become the largest domestic grosser and probably worldwide grosser ever made.
2. TOY STORY 4 - $400 million - Woody and Buzz will recapture that Pixar magic, I have no doubt.
3. THE LION KING - $320 million - The nostalgia factor is just too strong with this, even though it looks like it'll do what Beauty & the Beast did. Combine shot-by-shot recreations with new stuff to make it about 40 minutes longer than the animated original. It's going to be one heck of a summer for Disney.
4. SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME - $280 million - Tom Holland's gee-whiz enthusiasm for the character hasn't worn off, plus people will be ready to see the repercussion of Endgame in alive-again Peter's world.
5. THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2 - $260 million - The awkward replacement of Louis CK with Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille) in the main character's role shouldn't matter too much.
6. DETECTIVE PIKACHU - $235 million - As long as it doesn't suck, it should be a hit. It's positioned to be the first big hit of May.
7. ALADDIN - $180 million - The previews haven't been that encouraging. This could be closer to Dumbo than Lion King numbers.
8. ROCKETMAN - $165 million - This'll be the Bohemian Rhapsody of 2019. A killer discography will overcome any storytelling shortcomings.
9. ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD - $150 million - The Hateful Eight indulged in unpleasantness, but this looks like it'll restore Quentin Tarantino to his Inglourious Basterds-level of box office. The cast is simply too huge to overlook. Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Al Pacino, Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, Timothy Olyphant, etc., etc.
10. GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS - $145 million - Bonus for having Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown in the cast, but the real selling point will be how willing audiences are to watch big-budget updates on characters like Mothra.
11. HOBBS & SHAW - $140 million - Looks like a hoot.
12. DARK PHOENIX - $120 million - The final X-Men movie before they all get rebooted into the MCU, this mostly looks like an apology for how lame X-Men: The Last Stand was.
13. JOHN WICK 3 - $110 million - Who would be foolish enough to try to kill John Wick? He's already killed hundreds of top assassins, so these have got to be the dumber class.
14. MEN IN BLACK INTERNATIONAL - $105 million - Thor and Valkyrie reunite in different roles, but they look like they'll keep the same light chemistry.
15. ANNABELLE COME HOME - $100 million - All it needs to be is as good as Annabelle 2.
16. SHAFT - $95 million - I really like the spin on this franchise, with a decidedly non-violent son of Shaft thrust into the world for comedic effect.
17. THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE 2 - $85 million - We don't "need" another one, but the last one made money, so...
18. SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK - $70 million - Hard to tell what's going to break out in mid-August, but this seems as good a bet as any.
19. MA - $62 million - Octavia Spencer is the latest Oscar-winner to cash in her chips to play a psycho, and the preview makes it look like it'll be a slow burn to her craziness. A good thing.
20. DORA & THE LOST CITY OF GOLD - $60 million - Can Dora the Explorer find what Allan Quatermain couldn't? This looks decent, in a Spy Kids way.
Dark Horses:
THE KITCHEN - Crime drama about mob wives who continue to run their husbands' businesses while they're in prison. Elisabeth Moss, Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish star, and while it sounds similar to Widows, this one takes place in the 1970's, with a lot more Scorsese shenanigan potential. It's the directorial debut of Andrea Berloff, who co-wrote Straight Outta Compton.
STUBER - Dave Bautista and Kumail Najiani look like a fun pairing.
YESTERDAY - I love the high concept. After a worldwide blackout, a young musician finds himself the only person on Earth who's ever heard of the Beatles, so he records their songs and becomes an international star.
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