Will Ghost in the Shell Top or Flop at the Box Office?

While predictingbox office grossesweek in and week out is certainly not an exact science, some movies' blockbuster potential is much easier to identify than others. Hardly anyone was surprised thatBeauty and the Beastdebuted far above industry expectations, earning a record-breaking $174.7 million in its opening weekend, while dropping just 48.3% last weekend, to again easily win with $90.4 million. This weekend, the live-action fairy tale adaptation faces its biggest challenge yet, going up against DreamWorks Animation’sThe Boss Babyand Paramount’s live-action manga adaptationGhost in the Shell. Unless either of these two new releases overperforms in a big way, they shouldn’t stopBeauty and the Beastfrom winning for a third weekend in a row, with a predicted $43.1 million.

Box Office Mojoreports thatThe Boss Babyis expected to debut in roughly 3,700 theaters, while theGhost in the Shell adaptationis slated to debut in roughly 3,200 theaters. While those are both solid theater count numbers for an opening weekend,Beauty and the Beastwill likely remain in 4,210 theaters this weekend, 1,000 more thanGhost in the Shelland 500 more thanThe Boss Baby. As far as these new releases' critical receptions,The Boss Babyis currently at 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, although there aren’t any reviews posted forGhost in the Shellyet. That will certainly change over the next few days. We’re predicting thatThe Boss Babywill debut in second place with $20.2 million, with the top 5 rounded out byPower Rangers($18.6 million),Ghost in the Shell($16.3 million) andKong: Skull Island($8.1 million).

As of now, Disney’sBeauty and the Beastis the biggest movie of 2017, with a domestic take of $319 million and a worldwide tally of $693.5 million, from a budget of $160 million. It very well could be the firstbox office blockbusterof the year to surpass $1 billion worldwide, which may happen in the next week or two. If that happens, it will be the 29th movie in box office history to do so, and the 14th Disney movie to surpass this box office milestone. With highly-anticipated movies likeGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2(May 5),Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales(May 26),Cars 3(June 16),Thor: Ragnarok(November 3),Coco(November 22) andStar Wars: The Last Jedi(December 15), this could end up being a record-shattering year for Disney at the box office.

When the brother of a fast-talking briefcase-carrying baby (voiced byAlec Baldwin) embarks on a mission to win back the sole affection of his parents, he stumbles upon a secret plot by the CEO of Puppy Co. (voiced bySteve Buscemi) that threatens to destroy the balance of love in the world, and this brash baby executive masquerading as his new brother is at the center of it all in DreamWorks Animation’sThe Boss Baby. Now, they must come together as true brothers to stop the dastardly scheme, save their parents, restore order to the world, and prove that love is indeed an infinite force.The Boss Babyvoice cast is rounded out byLisa Kudrow,Tobey Maguire,Jimmy Kimmel,ViviAnn LeeandMiles Christopher Bakshi.

In the near future, Major (Scarlett Johansson) is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world’s most dangerous criminals. When terrorism reaches a new level that includes the ability to hack into people’s minds and control them, Major is uniquely qualified to stop it. As she prepares to face a new enemy, Major discovers that she has been lied to: her life was not saved, it was stolen. She will stop at nothing to recover her past, find out who did this to her and stop them before they do it to others. Based on the internationally acclaimed Japanese Manga, “The Ghost in the Shell.” The supporting cast includesPilou Asbaek,Sam Riley,Michael Pitt,Christopher ObiandTakeshi Kitano.

The top 10 will be rounded out byLife($6 million),Logan($5.4 million),Get Out($4.1 million),CHiPs($3.2 million) andThe Shack($1.9 million). Also opening in limited release areThe Zookeeper’s Wife,The Blackcoat’s Daughter,Carrie Pilby,Here Alone,Despite the Falling Snow,Here Alone,Live Cargo,God Knows Where I Am, a re-release ofDonnie Darko,The Prison,The Devotion of Suspect XandNaam Shabana.The Zookeeper’s Wifeis expected to open in roughly 650 theaters, whileThe Devotion of Suspect Xis said to arrive in roughly 45 theaters. It remains to be seen if any of these films will expand in the weeks and months ahead.

Looking ahead to next weekend, three new films will open in wide release, with Sony’sSmurfs: The Lost Villagegoing up against Warner Bros.' comedy remakeGoing in Styleand PureFlix’sThe Case For Christ. Also debuting in limited release are Magnolia’sAlive and KickingandCezanne et moi, Neon’sColossal, Parade Deck’sThe Eyes, Fox Searchlight’sGifted, IFC’sGraduation, Well Go USA’sMine, STX Entertainment’sTheir Finest, Shout! Factor’sThe Ticket, FilmRise’sTrumanScreen Media’sThe Voidand Funimation’sYour Name. Check back on Sunday for the box office estimates, and again next Tuesday for our next round of predictions. Until then, take a look at our projections for the weekend of March 31.