Box-Office Preview: 'Money Monster' Eyes Bearish U.S. Debut

Jodie Foster's film — reuniting stars Julia Roberts and George Clooney — makes its world premiere Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival hours before it starts rolling out in the U.S.

Jodie Foster's financial thriller Money Monster is eyeing a bearish opening in the U.S., where it is looking at a debut in the low-teen millions, if tracking is correct.

Sony/TriStar insiders are even more conservative, suggesting their pic will open in the $10 million range thanks to another kind of monster: Captain America: Civil War, which last weekend opened to a massive $179.1 million domestically. The superhero tentpole should take in $75 million or more in its second weekend; through Tuesday, its global total stands at $737.8 million for Disney and Marvel Studios. On Tuesday, Civil War grossed $13.7 million to pass the $200 million mark domestically in its fifth day in release.

Money Monster, reuniting George Clooney and Julia Roberts for the first time since 2004's Ocean's Twelve, cost $27 million to make and is Foster's biggest movie to date as a director.

The film will make its world premiere Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival hours before rolling out in select theaters in the U.S., where studio adult offerings have had a tough go, even when boasting big stars.

Jack O'Connell also stars in Money Monster, which centers on a TV financial personality (Clooney) who is taken hostage on air by a viewer who followed the talk show host's advice and lost all of his money. Roberts plays the show's producer.

The weekend's other new player is Greg McLean's supernatural horror film The Darkness, produced by Blumhouse and released by BH Tilt, a relatively new distribution venture designed to target genre fans without having to make a major nationwide marketing spend (Universal is assisting on the movie's distribution).

Kevin Bacon, Radha Mitchell, David Mazouz and Lucy Fry star in the pic, which revolves around a family who visits the Grand Canyon and brings home a supernatural force. The Darkness, set to open in roughly 1,700 locations, is hoping for a debut in the $5 million-$6 million range.