Planning a cinema trip? Mutiny keeps it modest; Insidious looks solid this weekend

We all know the back half of August isn’t exactly the shining hour for cinema releases. It’s usually where studios sneak out films they don’t really fancy for awards season, or frankly hope to just turn a quick profit before clearing space for the autumn big guns. This weekend, that strategy is in full effect: we’ve got two headliners – Insidious: Out of the Further and Jason Statham’s latest brawler, Mutiny – both angling for those summer box office crumbs.

Paranormal and Punch-Ups

First up, the Insidious series. It’s always managed to conjure up decent takings, at least in horror terms. The high-water mark remains Insidious: Chapter 2, which charged out the gate with a hefty $40 million opening. The sequels have struggled to duplicate that, but the most recent entry, The Red Door, actually did nicely for itself off the back of the return of original cast members Patrick Wilson (who also pulled double-duty directing) and Rose Byrne – both of whom skipped numbers three and four. Now, with Out of the Further, neither Wilson nor Byrne are back, which you might think would sink audience interest. But to be fair, the buzz from critics is on the positive side, with more than a few saying this is one of the stronger follow-ups. Early projections have it taking in around $20 million or so, which is perfectly respectable in August, even if miles off that old peak.

Insidious: Chapter 2 had the franchise’s biggest debut with a $40 million opening weekend.

Meanwhile, if supernatural horror isn’t your flavour, there’s always Jason Statham punching things. Mutiny is the weekend’s designated action option. Statham’s all over the place, box office-wise. When he’s lucky – as with The Beekeeper or A Working Man – he’s managed to open north of $15 million ($16.5m and $15.5m, respectively), and at least The Beekeeper crawled its way to a respectable $66 million domestic total (plus, that one’s actually getting a sequel). But he’s just as likely to flop: Expend4bles started with only $8 million, and Shelter barely scraped $5.5 million in its opening bow. For Mutiny the mood is decidedly muted. The studio’s barely managed to get people to notice it’s out, with trailers and posters doing little except remind us that Statham’s still available for hire. Most reckon it’ll debut with about $8 million – so, not exactly career-best stuff. Worth noting: some clever clogs at Amazon Prime managed to leak the whole film online – accidentally, apparently – for four hours early Wednesday. Not the kind of word-of-mouth a studio dreams of.

The Rest of the Pack

The top spot at the US box office is already spoken for, thanks to Spider-Man: Brand New Day still swinging away with an expected $35 million take. The Odyssey looks set to edge just ahead of Insidious with a $13 million haul. The End of Oak Street is due for a drop, probably landing around $11 million after a relatively strong debut last week. Amazingly, PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie could still sneak past Mutiny too, leaving Statham stranded in a rather humbling sixth place.

• Spider-Man: Brand New Day: $35 million
• Insidious: Out of the Further: $20 million
• The Odyssey: $13 million
• The End of Oak Street: $11 million
• PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie: $10 million