Can Annabelle 2 Topple Dark Tower at the Box Office This Weekend?

While Sony’sThe Dark Towerdid managed to take home the box office crown in its opening weekend, it certainly wasn’t a convincing win, just barely beatingDunkirkwith $19.1 million, coming in under most expectations. This weekend,The Dark Tower box officeprospects are looking even worse, facing a tough second weekend that brings in three vastly different movies to theaters, New Line’s horror prequelAnnabelle: Creation, the Lionsgate dramaThe Glass Castleand the Open Road Films animated sequelThe Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature. It seems like a one-week reign at the box office will be all forThe Dark Tower, since we’re predictingAnnabelle: Creationwill take the top spot with $40.2 million, easily bestingThe Dark Towerand the rest of the field.

Box Office Mojoreports thatAnnabelle: Creationis slated to arrive in over 3,400 theaters, withThe Glass Castleexpected to arrive in 1,400 theaters, although there is no theater count estimate forThe Nut Job 2: Nutty By Naturequite yet. IfAnnabelle: Creation, aspin-off of The Conjuring, manages to meet or exceed this projection, it will have just barely beaten its predecessor, 2014’sAnnabelle, which debuted with $37.1 million, en route to $84.2 million domestic and $172.6 million internationally for a worldwide tally of $256.8 million, making it one of the most profitable films of the year, since it was produced on a meager $6.5 million budget.

There are a few aspects ofAnnabelle: Creation’s release that could bode well for this horror prequel faring better than its predecessor. For one,Annabellewas not received well by critics, earning a paltry 29% from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but thisAnnabelle prequelmade headlines last month when it scored a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes after the first wave of reviews poured in. While the movie’s score has dropped a bit since then, it is still holding strong with an 83% Fresh rating, which still marks a drastic improvement from the original movie. Its 3,400-theater rollout will be slightly larger than its predecessor as well, which opened in 3,185 theaters.

InAnnabelle: Creation, several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a doll maker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home. They soon become the target of thedoll maker’s possessed creation, Annabelle. David F. Sandberg (Lights Out) directs from a screenplay byGary Dauberman, who also wrote “Annabelle.” The film stars Stephanie Sigman (Spectre), Talitha Bateman (The 5th Wave), Lulu Wilson (Ouija 2,Deliver Us from Evil), Philippa Coulthard (After the Dark), Grace Fulton (Badland), Lou Lou Safran (The Choice), Samara Lee (Foxcatcher,The Last Witch Hunter), and Tayler Buck in her feature film debut, with Anthony LaPaglia (TV’sWithout a Trace) and Miranda Otto (Showtime’sHomeland,The Lord of the RingsTrilogy).

We’re predicting the top 5 will be rounded out byThe Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature($15.6 million),The Dark Tower($9.8 million),Dunkirk($9.2 million) andThe Glass Castle($7.1 million).The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Naturebrings Surly Squirrel (Will Arnett) and his whole gang back for another adventure. We are once again in Oakton where the evil mayor has decided to bulldoze Liberty Park and build a dangerous amusement park in its place. Surly and his ragtag group of animal friends band together to save their home, defeat the mayor, and take back the park.The Nut Job 2also features the voice talent of Katherine Heigl (The Nut Job), Jackie Chan (Kung Fu Panda 3), Peter Stormare (Penguins of Madagascar), Bobby Cannavale (Ant-Man), Isabela Moner (Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life) and Maya Rudolph (The Angry Birds Movie).

The top 10 will likely be rounded out byThe Emoji Movie($6.4 million),Girls Trip($6 million),Kidnap($5.1 million),Spider-Man: Homecoming($4.6 million) andDetroit($4.1 million). Also opening in limited release this weekend is A24’sGood Time, Freestyle Releasing’sBedeviled, Neon’sIngrid Goes West, Strand’sThe Nile Hilton Incident, Well Go USA’sOnce Upon a TimeandA Taxi Driver, Roadside Attractions’The Only Boy Living in New York, IFC’sA Trip to Spainand Magnolia’sWhose Streets. There is no indication on whether any of these films will expand in the weeks to come or not.

Looking ahead to next weekend, Liosngate rolls out its action-comedyThe Hitman’s Bodyguard, starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, along with Bleecker Street’sLogan Lucky, starring Channing Tatum, Adam Driver and Daniel Craig. Also opening in limited release is Vertical Entertainment’s action film6 Days, Well Go USA’s action-crime thrillerThe Adventurers, Samuel Goldwyn Films' dramaGook, Magnolia’s comedyLemon, Fox Searchlight’s dramaPatti Cake$and Abramorama’s documentarySidemen: Long Road to Glory. Take a look at our box office projections for the weekend of August 11, and check back on Sunday for the top 10 estimates.