Columbia Pictures’ “Morbius”, starring Jared Leto, is aiming for the top spot at the American box office, with a projected opening weekend of $38 million to $41 million from 4,268 theatres.

That’s a relatively low opening figure for a film based on Marvel comics. “Morbius”, the latest entry in the studio’s self-branded Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters (which also includes Tom Hardy’s two “Venom” films and the upcoming “Kraven the Hunter“), earned $17.1 million on its first day at the domestic box office, including a healthy $5.7 million in Thursday previews.

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“Morbius” will need to put up a good fight if it is to be a financial success for Sony. The Marvel picture was panned by critics, with a dismal 17% aggregate approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Morbius”, with a $75 million production budget, is a less intimidating financial investment for Sony than the typical comic book action spectacular. However, the picture was hampered by many cinema release delays caused by COVID-19, eventually making its way to April 2022 after being scheduled for July 2020. That timetable shuffles most certainly resulted in a slew of marketing reboots, raising the price of “Morbius”.

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The calendar month ahead is also unfavourable for “Morbius”, as it will see a slew of competition emerge at multiplexes, including Universal’s retro-action spectacle “Ambulance,” Paramount’s quick sequel “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” and Warner Bros.’ “Harry Potter” spin-off “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.” As new franchise plays entice audiences, Morbius will have to continue attracting spectators.

“Morbius”, directed by Daniel Espinosa, stars Jared Leto as the titular Dr Michael Morbius, a genius who transforms into a vampire due to a rare blood illness. Adria Arjona, Tyrese Gibson, Matt Smith, Jared Harris, and Michael Keaton are among the other actors in the cast.

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At its second weekend, Paramount’s “The Lost City” is expected to finish second. The romantic comedy is expected to gross $14.6 million this weekend, down 52% from its opening weekend and bringing its domestic total to $54.3 million. With a $68 million budget, Paramount would certainly be delighted with a higher opening weekend for the Sandra Bullock-Channing Tatum comedy.

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“The Batman” looks to claim bronze. On Friday, the DC adaption earned another $3.1 million, bringing its domestic total to $341.3 million. The Robert Pattinson film is still the biggest grossing release of 2022, thanks to a massive opening weekend and great word-of-mouth. It’s possible that the domestic box office may top $400 million.

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“Uncharted,” from Columbia Pictures, is expected to finish fourth. The Tom Holland-led video game adaptation continues to perform admirably at the box office. In the last month, “Uncharted” has not had a week-to-week dip higher than 37%, a pattern that should continue this weekend with a predicted 26% drop. Through Sunday, the action film should have a domestic gross of $139 million.

Finally, with a projected $1.95 million domestic movie office gross, the anime adaption “Jujutsu Kaisen 0” could round out the top five. The Crunchyroll release has now grossed more than $30 million in North America, indicating anime’s growing popularity in the United States in recent years.