Last weekend was a busy one for movie theaters with three wide releases from major studios, but it doesn’t get any quieter this weekend with the release of two major titles: Universal/Illumination’s “The Secret Life of Pets 2” and Fox/Disney’s “Dark Phoenix.”
“Secret Life of Pets 2” is expected to take No. 1, though with an opening weekend much smaller than its 2016 predecessor. Box office trackers are expecting an opening for the animated movie in the $60 million range, and the studio expects that an opening in the $50 million range would be a strong start. However, the first “Secret Life” earned a $104 million opening en route to grossing $875 million worldwide, second only to “Shrek 2” among non-Disney animated films.