Comic fans marched single file to the box office this weekend to catch Ant-Man and the Wasp, the first installment from Marvel following April’s titanic cliffhanger in Avengers: Infinity War. Ringing in at $76 million, the sequel arrived at the lower end of industry expectations pegging the film at anywhere between $75 and $100 million. Considering the original Ant-Man scored only $57 million in its opening, this is certainly a success, but after the $242 and $258 million openings for Black Panther and Infinity War, it’s a far more lukewarm response in comparison.
This weekend ushers in the third offering in an animated series, as well as a somewhat bold original release for a season packed with sequels. Adam Sandler’s Dracula and Sony Pictures Animation return in Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, and the Rock is back with another actioner in Skyscraper, a rather unapologetic Die-Hard imitator. BoxOfficePro projects an opening between $40 and $55 million for Hotel Transylvania, and an arrival between $27 and $40 million for Skyscraper. The films are tracking 63% and 49% respective scores on Rotten Tomatoes.
When it comes to animated films, Sony Pictures Animation has one of the worst track records with releases that can resonate with both the kiddos and their parents. Case-in-point: Hotel Transylvania, a rather derivative horror parody that owes a lot to cartoons such as Scooby-Doo. The original was agreeable enough, the sequel was just banal and irritating. I’m not expecting any sudden shifts here, but taking the crew on vacation just might be enough to inject some decent energy. Meanwhile, Skyscraper is a surefire Die-Hard rip-off. Thankfully, it has The Rock.
I’ll be seeing both Hotel Transylvania and Skyscraper this weekend. I’m predicting Hotel Transylvania to hit a respectable $50 million in the absence of extreme competition, and I’m expecting to award it a passable quality score of 6/10. For Skyscraper, I’ll predict $30 million and a 5/10. Let me know your predictions, and check Friday for the review of Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.
Film Sentinel 
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