Box office preview: The Jungle Book, Criminal, Barbershop: The Next Cut

We’ll soon be crowning a new king of the jungle.

The Jungle Book is stampeding into more than 4,000 theaters this weekend, and Disney’s CGI adventure story is headed for an opening around $70 million — or more. That, coupled with new openings from Ice Cube’s Barbershop: The Next Cut and Kevin Costner’s Criminal, should make for a busy weekend at the box office.

Here’s how this weekend’s box office race might play out:

1. The Jungle Book — $70 million

So far this year, there’s been a dearth of family-friendly movies, which is part of the reason why Zootopia has had such an unstoppable run. (It currently boasts $298.6 million domestically and $855.1 million worldwide — and counting.) The PG-rated Jungle Book will finally provide a little competition, and its family-friendly status and phenomenal reviews — 94 percent and “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes — should push it to one of the biggest openings of 2016. Conservative predictions place The Jungle Book somewhere in the mid-60s, while other analysts see it stretching as high as $80 million.

Internationally, The Jungle Book has already raked in $31.7 million, including the second-highest Western debut in Indian box office history, and it opens this weekend in international territories like the U.K., China, France, Germany, and more. In all, it’s expected to add another $75 million to its international total this weekend.

2. Barbershop: The Next Cut — $25 million

It’s been 12 years since we last left the Barbershop series, and Ice Cube is returning for the third installment, joined by Common and Nicki Minaj. More than a decade ago, the first two Barbershop movies opened to $20.6 million and $24.2 million apiece, and Barbershop 3 is headed for a similar (if slightly higher) debut around $25 million. MGM, Warner Bros., and New Line are releasing Barbershop 3 in 2,661 locations, and it currently holds an excellent 91 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

3. The Boss — $13.7 million

Melissa McCarthy narrowly dethroned Batman v Superman last weekend, as The Boss opened to $23.6 million. So far, it’s earned $28.9 million domestically and $30 million worldwide, performing fairly similarly to 2014’s Tammy, which also starred McCarthy and was directed by her husband, Ben Falcone. Tammy opened to $21.6 million before falling 42 percent in its second weekend, and if The Boss does the same, it’s looking at a second weekend around $13.7 million.

4. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — $11.7 million

After its stellar $166 million opening, Batman v Superman has plummeted in its second and third weekends, and it’s facing another steep drop as it enters its fourth. The Jungle Book is taking over many of Batman v Superman’s IMAX and 3D screens, which means that the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight could drop as much as 50 percent for a fourth weekend around $11.7 million. So far, Dawn of Justice has raked in $301.2 million domestically and $800.8 million worldwide.

5. Criminal — $8 million

This weekend’s final new release is the thriller Criminal, which stars Kevin Costner as a felon implanted with the memories of a CIA intelligence officer. Lionsgate is debuting Criminal in about 2,600 theaters, and industry projections put it somewhere between $7-9 million for the weekend. It currently holds a 17 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.