Can Miss Peregrine Beat Magnificent Seven at the Box Office?

September has proven to be quite the difficult month forbox office predictions, with three newcomers under-performing two weeks ago, and last weekend’s winnerThe Magnificent Sevenover-performing to win with $34.7 million. This weekend, three newcomers arrive to close out the month, 20th Century Fox’sMiss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Lionsgate’sDeepwater Horizonand Relativity’sMasterminds. Only one can take home the box office crown, and we’re predicting that movie will beMiss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.

Box Office Mojoreports thatMiss Peregrinewill debut in roughly 3,400 theaters this weekend, withDeepwater Horizonopening in an estimated 3,000 theaters whileMastermindsis set to open in roughly 2,800 theaters. While there is no Rotten Tomatoes score forMasterminds, bothMiss Peregrine(62% Fresh) andDeepwater Horizon(89% Fresh) are faring quite well with the critics thus far. We’re predicting thatMiss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Childrenwill come out on top this weekend with $32.4 million.

We’re predicting thatDeepwater Horizonwill debut in second place with $24.6 million, but, given the overwhelmingly positive reviews it’s received thus far, it’s possible that there could be a closer race between this movie andMiss Peregrine, but we won’t find out for sure until Sunday morning. We’re predicting that last weekend’s winner,The Magnificent Seven, theWestern remakestarringDenzel WashingtonandChris Pratt, will drop to second place this weekend with $18.2 million, with the top 5 rounded out byStorkswith $13.6 million andSullywith $8.2 million.

From directorTim Burtonand based upon the best-selling novel, comes an unforgettable, thrilling and haunting tale. Sixteen-year-old Jacob follows clues that take him to a mysterious island where he discovers the crumbling ruins ofMiss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores the abandoned bedrooms and hallways, he discovers that its former occupants were far more than peculiar; they possessed incredible powers. And they may still be alive. The ensemble cast forMiss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar ChildrenincludesAsa Butterfield,Eva Green,Samuel L. Jackson,Kim Dickens,Allison JanneyandElla Purnell.

On April 20th, 2010, one of the world’s largest man-made disasters occurred on theDeepwater Horizonin the Gulf of Mexico. Directed byPeter Berg(Lone Survivor), this story honors the brave men and women whose heroism would save many on board, and change everyone’s lives forever. The cast includesMark Wahlberg,Dylan O’Brien,Kurt Russell,Kate Hudson,Gina Rodriguez,John MalkovichandIlan Srulovicz.

In this action comedy inspired by true events,Masterminds, directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite; Nacho Libre), David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) discovers the true meaning of adventure far beyond his wildest dreams. He is an uncomplicated man stuck in a monotonous life. Day in and day out he drives an armored vehicle, transporting millions of other people’s money with no escape in sight. The only glimmer of excitement is his flirtatious work crush Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig) who soon lures him into the scheme of a lifetime.

Along with a group of half-brained criminals led by Steve Chambers (Owen Wilson) and an absurdly faulted heist plan, David manages the impossible and makes off with $17 million in cash…Only problem is he foolishly hands the money over to this wild group of double crossers and has been set up to take the fall. With the bandits blowing the millions on lavish and ridiculous luxuries, they leave behind a glaring trail of evidence. Now on the lam and in over his head, David must dodge the authorities, evade a hilarious hit man, Mike McKinney (Jason Sudeikis), and attempt to turn the tables on the ones he trusted most.

The top 10 will be rounded out byMasterminds($7.2 million),Bridget Jones’s Baby($2.8 million),Snowden($2.1 million),Blair Witch($1.9 million),Don’t Breathe($1.7 million),Suicide Squad($1.2 million). Also opening in limited release this weekend is A24’sAmerican Honey, First Run’sAmong the Believers, Freestyle Releasing’sClinton Inc., Magnolia’sDanny Says, Bleecker Street’sDenial, Vanish Films’Do Not Resist, Starz Media’s comedyFlock of Dudes, FilmRise’sHarry & Snowman, China Lion’sI Belonged to You, FIP’sM.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, Music Box Films’A Man Called Oveand Well Go USA"sOperation MeKong. It isn’t known if any of these films will expand in the weeks ahead.

Looking ahead to next weekend, three newcomers will open in wide release, Fox Searchlight’s dramaThe Birth of a Nation, Universal’s thrillerThe Girl On the Trainand Lionsgate’s comedyMiddle School: The Worst Years of My Life. Also opening in limited release is Rialto’sThe Battle of Algiers, Strand’sBeing 17, Shout! Factory’sBlinky Bill, The Orchard’sBlue Jay, FilmRise’sThe Greasy Strangler, Cinestaan’sMirzya, Vertical Entertainment’sUnder the Shadow, Arc Entertainment’s documentaryTorchbearer, ArtAffects’Voicelessand IMAX’sVoyage of Time: The IMAX Experience. Take a look at our projected top 10, and check back on Sunday for the box office estimates.