Battle of the Box Office: BLUE BEETLE vs. STRAYS vs. BARBIE vs. OPPENHEIMER

This weekend, Warner Bros. Pictures' Blue Beetle and Universal Pictures' Strays will attempt to challenge the current box office leaders, Barbie and Oppenheimer. Blue Beetle, a superhero film with potential appeal to the DC fan base and Hispanic families, is projected to open with $22M-$32M. Strays, an R-rated comedy featuring Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx, has sleeper potential and is expected to open with $11M-$18M. However, superhero films are experiencing some regression at the box office, and Blue Beetle's pre-sales are trailing behind the Shazam! sequel. Barbie and Oppenheimer are expected to maintain their dominance, although Barbie may face slight audience runoff due to the new releases.