Lionsgate’s dystopian YA sequel Insurgent is set to take on last weekend’s victor Cinderella when it premieres this weekend in 3,875 theaters.
Based on the best-selling novel series by Veronica Roth, Insurgent is on track to debut in the $55 million-$60 million range in North America, much more than last year’s Divergent debut with $54.6 million ($288.7 million worldwide). Globally, analysts predict that the film will take in between $105 million and $120 million.
WATCH: Octavia Spencer Takes You Behind The Scenes With Insurgent
Costing $110 million to produce, $25 million more costly than the first film, Insurgent illustrates Tris (Shailene Woodley) as now a fugitive on the run, hunted by Erudite elite Jeanine (Kate Winslet), all while trying to find answers in the ruins of a futuristic Chicago. Theo James, Ansel Elgort and Miles Teller are all reprising their roles, with Robert Schwentke joining the gang as the new director.
WATCH: Insurgent Interview With Miles Teller
While a strong competitor, Disney’s Cinderella is projected to decline almost 50 percent in its second time around, with an estimated gross of $32 million. The live-action fairy tale could near $200 million in global ticket sales by the end of the weekend.
Another opening set for this weekend is The Gunman, directed by Pierre Morel and starring Sean Penn. The R-rated action-thriller, also featuring Idris Elba, Javier Bardem and Ray Winstone, is expected to gross at $8 million in its North American debut on 2,816 screens. Gunman tells the story of an international operative who is pursued across Europe by the organization he works for after he tries to retire.
The weekend’s other new release is Do You Believe?, a faith-based film starring Ted McGinley, Mira Sorvino, Lee Majors, Cybill Sheperd and Brian Bosworth. Directed by Jonathan M. Gunn, the latest Christian film to hit theaters tells the story of a pastor who encounters a street-corner preacher, where he is then reminded that true belief always requires action. Believe is expected to take in roughly $5 million when debuts this weekend in 1,200 theaters.
