Wild Robot, Megalopolis and Pro-Donald Trump Documentary Are a Hit

This weekend's new releases at the box office make for an unusual, if not spicy, recipe.

The safest and most traditional ingredient is DreamWorks Animation and Universal's family film The wild robotbased on Peter Brown's popular bestseller about a robot nicknamed ROZ who, after a shipwreck on a deserted island, forms an unexpected bond with an orphaned gosling and other creatures.

The critically acclaimed CGI-animated film is expected to gross $24 million domestically, although more optimistic forecasters believe it could easily top $30 million. But it's understandable why the filmmakers are trying to temper expectations, hinting at $20 million or more after last weekend's film. Transformers Oneanother PG-rated animated film, fell $5 million short of expectations with $24.6 million in its domestic opening.

A story about the bridge between nature and technology, The wild robot Directed and written by Oscar-nominated Chris Sanders (How to train your dragon, The Croods). The star-studded voice cast is led by Lupita Nyong'o, Kit Connor, Pedro Pascal, Catherine O'Hara, Bill Nighy and Stephanie Hsu, alongside pop icons Mark Hamill, Matt Berry and Ving Rhames.

The wild robot is widely expected to win the title of survivor this weekend Transformers One And Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Where the other newcomers will end up is a big question mark – especially Francis Ford Coppola’s dystopian epic Big cityTracking suggests that the film, starring Adam Driver, may only gross $5-7 million, which would be a financial disaster for a project that cost $120 million to produce before commercialization.

As revered as Coppola is, no major Hollywood studio would agree to finance or distribute him. Big city in North America after seeing the film at a buyer's preview ahead of its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received mostly “okay” reviews. Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza and Shia LaBeouf also star in Coppola's epic reimagining of the Roman Empire in modern-day New York City on the brink of ruin.

Lionsgate ultimately committed to releasing the film domestically, but won't have to cover distribution or marketing costs. Imax is also on Coppola's side after the director shot parts of the film using Imax-certified cameras. Big city is booked for selected seasons in around 200 IMAX cinemas, i.e. in about half of all large format cinemas.

Earlier this week, Coppola compared the film’s plot to the current political situation in the United States before a screening of Big city at the New York Film Festival, where he suggested that the 2024 presidential election could reflect the fall of Rome. His comments were streamed in 65 theaters in the U.S. and Canada with the support of Imax.

When Coppola takes aim at the politics of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, moviegoers have the opportunity to instead Trump justifies himselfthe latest documentary from conservative pundit and Trump supporter Dinesh D'Souza, which examines the obstacles facing the Republican candidate in his bid to reclaim the Oval Office.

D'Souza's documentary – made in collaboration with Trump, who has personally promoted the film – is expected to play in 500 to 700 theaters across the country. The religious distributor SDG, home of Am I a racist?is the handling Trump justifies himself in North America. Highlights include D'Souza's interview with Trump after an assassin's bullet struck Trump's ear.

Sony is opening Jason Reitman’s special box office Saturday night — a love letter to NBC's long-running sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live — at five locations in New York and Los Angeles.