August is upon us, and we have now entered the final month of the SMP. This first weekend of August can be intimidating knowing it typically leaves only 4 solid weekends to make $$$, but in reality has proven to be a strong one over the years, particularly for both of these franchises. In 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles opened to $65M on its way to a $162M total by the pool’s end (good for #10). In 2018 The Meg opened to an incredibly surprising $45M on its own way to a $112M total by the pool’s end (also good for #10).
But based on the early projections for both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (selected by 2 players) and Meg 2: The Trench (selected by 1 player) we shouldn’t expect the same this summer, especially knowing that the cutoff for #10 is currently at $149M and climbing. Mutant Mayhem has gotten fantastic reviews from both the critics and the audience (96% / 94% / ‘A’), but even with the 2 extra days this week it doesn’t appear to be a threat.
Boxoffice Pro forecast for this weekend:
| # | Wknd (M) | 3-Day Total (M) | |
| 1 | Barbie | 62.5 | 475.0 |
| 2 | Oppenheimer | 30.2 | 232.8 |
| 3 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem | 28.8 | 43.9 |
| 4 | Meg 2: The Trench | 23.4 | 23.4 |
| 5 | Haunted Mansion | 11.0 | 46.2 |
| 6 | Sound of Freedom | 8.0 | 165.0 |
| 7 | Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One | 6.6 | 151.6 |
| 8 | Talk To Me | 5.3 | 20.0 |
| 9 | Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny | 2.4 | 171.9 |
| 10 | Elemental | 2.0 | 149.3 |
Rotten Tomatoes freshness ratings:
| Critics Score | Audience Score | |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem | 96% | 94% |
| Meg 2: The Trench | 28% | 67% |
Theater counts:
| Screens | |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem | 3,513 |
| Meg 2: The Trench | 3,503 |
CinemaScore ratings:
| Score | |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem | A |
| Meg 2: The Trench | B- |