Box Office Showdown: "The Running Man" Competes with "Now You See Me: Now You Don’t" and "Predator: Badlands"

A box office contest is set to unfold between Glen Powell’s dystopian thriller “The Running Man” and the third installment of the heist series “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.” The two newcomers are set to challenge last week’s box office leader, Disney’s “Predator: Badlands,” for the top position in North America.

“Running Man” and “Now You See Me 3” are both aiming for an opening weekend between $20 million to $25 million. In its second weekend, “Badlands” is predicted to pull in $18 million to $20 million, a typical 50% drop from its franchise-record $40 million domestic debut.

Produced by Paramount, “The Running Man” is opening in 3,400 domestic theaters and 55 global markets. This film will assess the box office appeal of Powell, who has starred in successful productions like the rom-com “Anyone but You” with Sydney Sweeney and the beloved sequel to “Twisters.” With a hefty $110 million budget, “The Running Man” will need to stay in theaters through the holiday season to cover its costs.

The R-rated movie, directed by Edgar Wright, is the second adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 novel following the 1987 film featuring Arnold Schwartzenegger. The film, set in a grim near-future, shows working-class man Ben Richards participating in a televised game show where professional assassins hunt him. He must win the grand prize of $1 billion to save his sick daughter.

“Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” produced by Lionsgate, is opening in 3,300 domestic cinemas and 64 international territories. The third part of the franchise is projecting a similar start to its 2016 predecessor with $22 million. Despite receiving mixed reviews, the franchise has been successful commercially, with the first two installments making $350 million and $334 million respectively.

This time, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, and Morgan Freeman return to their roles, with Ariana Greenblatt and Rosamund Pike among the new faces. In this installment, the Four Horsemen collaborate with a new generation of illusionists to dismantle a criminal network.