Even with a few prominent wide releases, it looks like "The Avengers" is in position to land as the number one movie for the third consecutive weekend as it continues to storm through the box office record books. The biggest competition for "The Avengers" this weekend will come from "Battleship," a major action release starring Liam Neeson that ranks as one of the most expensive productions of the year. R-rated comedy "The Dictator" should also make a dent this weekend at the box office and romantic comedy "What to Expect When You're Expecting" is another title that should find its target audience without much other genre competition.
Though "The Avengers" has been the dominant force at the box office for the last couple of weeks, Universal is hoping that "Battleship" can give it a run at the top of the box office. With Liam Neeson atop the cast and a production budget estimated to be in the $200 million range, "Battleship" comes with significant box office expectations and Universal would love to see enough of a domestic audience to turn it into a franchise.
But the biggest problem for "Battleship" is a very difficult release schedule, which could severely limit its overall potential. "The Avengers" is still making waves with action audiences and "Battleship" will be splitting time at best with its target audience this weekend, and it won't get any easier with fresh competition from "Men in Black 3" on May 25th. With subpar critical reviews and an audience that still hasn't gotten over "The Avengers," expectations need to be tempered this weekend.
The good news for Universal is that "Battleship" has already sold a lot of tickets outside of the U.S., pushing it to more than $200 million worldwide before even getting to its domestic premiere. Like "Wrath of the Titans," "Battleship" should end up with some decent overall figures even if U.S. audiences balk; something that seems to be a realistic possibility. Look for "Battleship" to open in the $37 to $43 million range this weekend, a so-so total for a major production given the studio's red carpet marketing treatment.
As "Battleship" looks to find enough of the action-seeking demographic to get off the ground, a movie in better shape is R-rated comedy "The Dictator." Starring Sacha Baron Cohen of "Borat" and "Bruno" fame, "The Dictator" is a movie that most mainstream adult audiences likely have heard of by now after an aggressive marketing campaign from Cohen and Paramount. Reviews have also been mostly positive so far, which could help sway some of the adult demographic on the fence.
The downside for "The Dictator" is that the audience for Cohen's style of comedy doesn't appear to be nearly as strong as it was when "Borat" became a smash hit in 2006. Though Cohen's "Bruno" topped the charts with $30 million in its opening weekend in 2009, it didn't even make another $30 million domestically the rest of the time in theaters, as audience interest disintegrated. Getting a rare Wednesday release also won't help its first weekend in theaters, but it also should be the only R-rated movie to land in the top ten, giving it enough of an advantage to expect an opening in the neighborhood of $20 to $22 million at more than 3,000 venues.
Adult audiences looking for a softer comedy might turn to "What to Expect When You're Expecting," a PG-13 romantic comedy based on the popular book of the same title. With a release of more than 3,000 total theaters, "Expecting" has a cast that includes Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez and Chris Rock, though it will mainly rely on the built-in audience of the book. Look for "Expecting" to put up a decent but unspectacular opening around $18 to $22 million this weekend.
Next weekend, the summer release schedule will continue with the launching of "Men in Black 3," with both Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith returning for another entry in the popular series. As "Men in Black 3" hopes to finally topple "The Avengers," director Oren Peli's ("Paranormal Activity") horror film "Chernobyl Diaries" should dig up audiences looking for thrills. Writer/director Wes Anderson's latest comedy, "Moonrise Kingdom," will also be getting launched in a limited release with a great cast that includes Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Bruce Willis, Ed Norton and Frances McDormand.
RTT Box Office Predictions for 5/18/12 - 5/20/12 (In Millions):
1. The Avengers (Disney): $53
2. Battleship (Universal): $42
3. The Dictator (Paramount): $22
4. What to Expect When You're Expecting (Lionsgate): $21
5. Dark Shadows (Warner Brothers): $14
6. Think Like a Man (Sony/Screen Gems): $3.3
7. The Hunger Games (Lionsgate): $2.9
8. The Lucky One (Warner Brothers): $2.4
9. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Fox Searchlight): $2
10. The Pirates! Band of Misfits (Sony/Columbia): $1.7
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Entertainment News
June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.