Can Hobbs & Shaw Finally Dethrone The Lion King at This Weekend's Box Office?

For the past couple of weeks, it’s been all about Disney’sThe Lion Kingat the box office. Last weekend, it took the domestic crown for the second week in a row by bringing in $76.6 million. However, Simba’s reign at the top is almost certainly over, thanks to what The Rock is cooking. Dwayne Johnson’sHobbs & Shawis the only major release arriving in theaters this weekend and it’s looking like theFast & Furiousspin-off is going to have more than enough gas in the tank to take the top spot. Elsewhere, A24 is expanding indie hitThe Farewell.

Hobbs & Shaw, which sees Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Luke Hobbs, who we first met in Fast Five, alongside Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw, are teaming up to take down a bad guy played by Idris Elba. The spin-off, directed by David Leitch (Deadpool 2), is expected to take the crown rather easily this weekend. Estimates have it earning between $60 and $75 million at this weekend’sbox office. While that’s far below what Furious 7 ($147 million) and The Fate of the Furious ($98 million) pulled in, it should serve as a good enough start. Universal Pictures is banking big on international moviegoers for this one.

The Lion Kingwill come in second place. It’s expected the Jon Favreau-directed remake will nab between $35 and $40 million in its third frame at the domestic box office. In just three weeks, counting the early overseas release, the remake has already managed to cross the $1 billion mark and has helped push Disney over the top in an impressive, record-breaking year for the studio.Aladdin, for what it’s worth, also has joined the $1 billion club and should add another $2 million or so to its total this weekend as well.

Elsewhere,The Farewell, which stars Awkwafina, has proved to be a big hit at the indie box office, nabbing the best per-theater average of the year when it opened earlier this month. A24 intends to expand the critically-heralded family drama, which boasts an Asian-fronted cast, this weekend. Expect to seeThe Farwellcrawl further up the chart near the top five, with between $3 and $5 million, depending on how big the studio goes with the expansion and how far word of mouth carries this one.

Quentin Tarantino’sOnce Upon a Time in Hollywoodenters its second weekend after scoring a record opening for the director in its first frame. The star-studded period piece should bring in between $18 and $20 million, good enough for the number three spot. Rounding out the top five should beSpider-Man: Far From Home($6 to $8 million) andToy Story 4($5 to $6 million). Be sure to check out our full list of weekend box office predictions and check back with us on Sunday for the weekend estimates. Numbers used in this report were provided by Box Office Mojo.