Thu Mar 13 12:30:00 UTC 2025: ## “Novocaine” Poised to Top Box Office, While “Mickey 17” and “Captain America” Struggle

**Los Angeles, CA** – Jack Quaid’s action-comedy “Novocaine” is projected to debut at the top of the box office this weekend, beating out last week’s champion, “Mickey 17.” Industry analysts predict “Novocaine,” which cost $18 million to produce, will rake in between $10 million and $12 million from its opening weekend run across 3,300 North American theaters.

“Mickey 17,” starring Robert Pattinson and directed by Bong Joon Ho, is expected to experience a significant drop of 55% to 60% in its second weekend, earning only $8 million to $9 million. Despite a strong global opening, the $118 million film needs to achieve a massive worldwide gross of $275 million to $300 million to break even, a considerable hurdle given its current $74.5 million global total.

Other new releases are expected to perform more modestly. Steven Soderbergh’s thriller “Black Bag,” starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender, aims for a $7 million to $8 million opening, while the critically panned surrealist satire “Opus,” featuring Ayo Edebiri and John Malkovich, is projected to earn only $2 million to $4 million.

Meanwhile, “Captain America: Brave New World” continues its run, but with diminishing returns, adding an estimated $5 million this weekend. While the film has grossed $370.8 million globally, surpassing all other Hollywood releases this year, it’s still far from recouping its $180 million production cost, positioning it as one of the lowest-grossing Marvel films. The studio has two more films slated for 2025.

The box office performance of these films highlights the ongoing challenges and varying fortunes in the current cinematic landscape, with even big-budget productions facing considerable pressure to perform.

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