“The Predator” Misses Its Target at the Box Office

The Predator sliced and diced its competition, but its opening wasn't anything intimidating. The fourth entry in the Predator series – sixth if you count the awful Alien vs. Predator spin-offs – opened at No.1 with an estimated $24 million. That's below what the mostly forgotten future-set Predators opened with in 2010. The film had a lot of goodwill going in, but it got mostly bad reviews and was beset by behind-the-scenes controversy (for which director Shane Black has now apologized). This means it's yet another failed attempt to keep this franchise going.

The Nun slipped to No. 2, dropping more than 66 percent. So while it still might become the second-biggest movie in The Conjuring universe, it's likely to be forgotten quickly, like so many other horror flicks that open big but fade fast.

A Simple Favor opened higher than expected, with audiences intrigued by the mystery at its core. Its $16 million opening is solid for a female-led movie that had to work hard to obscure its twists. Word-of-mouth could propel this to be the sleeper hit of the fall. Despite a big push, audiences were less interested in the true crime of White Boy Rick. The R-rated drama managed only $8.8 million, barely topping the fifth weekend of Crazy Rich Asians.

Outside the top 5:

• This Weekend's Indie Champ: Mexican crime drama Museo. The Gael García Bernal-starring heist thriller made $17,500 on its lone screen.
• The Meg and Hotel Transylvania 3 hit major milestones: Both films crossed half a billion dollars internationally.
• It took two solid months to get there, but Mission: Impossible – Fallout is officially the biggest film in the franchise, overtaking 2000's second entry. It's also the biggest internationally as well, with a whopping 71.6 percent of the film's take coming outside North America.

Next week:

Will Eli Roth have his first No. 1 film in more than a decade? The controversial horror director is going in a kid-friendly direction for the first time with The House with a Clock in Its Walls. Given its well-known cast and beloved source material, it should easily nab $20 to $25 million for first place. Life Itself, from the creator of This Is Us, won't match that show's success. Both it and Michael Moore's everything-is-awful documentary Fahrenheit 11/9 will debut with less than $10 million.