However, this may be the rare weekend where a highly-anticipated animated movie doesn’t come out on top, with two-time winner The Secret Life of Pets going up against 20th Century Fox’s Ice Age: Collision Course, Paramount’s Star Trek Beyond and Warner Bros.’ horror-thriller Lights Out in wide release this weekend.
Despite its theater count advantage, both Star Trek Beyond and Lights Out are bona fide critical hits, while Ice Age 5 is the complete opposite.
Box Office Mojo reveals that Ice Age 5 has the advantage when it comes to theater count, debuting this weekend in approximately 3,900 theaters, with the Star Trek sequel opening in roughly 3,500 theaters and Lights Out debuting in 2,900 theaters.
If Star Trek Beyond hits this mark in theaters this weekend, it will fall just short of 2009’s Star Trek, which opened with $75.2 million, en route to $257.7 million domestic, but it will debut just ahead of 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness’ $70.1 million opening weekend, en route to $228.7 million domestic.