NOW YOU SEE ME TOO MOVIE

There is already a Now You See Me 3 on tap, so we'll see how that plays out (I would advise a smaller budget). We'll see how it goes, although as per usual Lionsgate sold off the overseas rights to a host of different companies in various markets, so I imagine a big chunk of their exposure has been accounted for. The film earned $22.8m overseas this weekend for a $45.8m cume. A 23% drop in worldwide total still gets the film to $270 million worldwide or triple the budget in theatrical alone. I don't expect it to be anywhere near as leggy as the first film, although (like The Conjuring 2), I'd love to be wrong and it doesn't have to be as huge as its predecessor to be a hit. And the 2.77x weekend multiplier compares to the first film's 2.9x multiplier. That's not a great hold, but it's not a crash either.

The $90 million sequel, directed by Jon M. But considering how often this sequel was named as a prototypical 'Who asked for a sequel to THIS?' offering, I am amused to see that it is performing somewhat comparatively to the first film. I liked this sequel more than the first film, although I won't fight too hard against those who disagree. Oh, and the film more closely follows the 'Horsemen' this time out, so it's not a rehash of the first movie. And Now You See Me 2 is more of the same, with most of the cast returning (Fisher is out, Lizzy Caplan is in) and Daniel Radcliffe added as a villain.

NOW YOU SEE ME TOO MOVIE

It was a good idea with a solid cast in a movie that, warts and all, was a genuine crowd pleaser. I wouldn't say that anyone in its cast was explicitly a box office draw, but Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Woody Harrelson are all 'names.' The ensemble cast (along with Dave Franco and Isla Fisher), along with the genuinely clever idea at play (the FBI chases stage magicians who pull off spectacular heists during their shows), helped make the last one into a hit. The first film was something of a rarity, a big (ish) budget, star-driven, concept-driven original studio release that audiences just seemed to enjoy. So yeah, a sequel was inevitable, especially since they were able to get almost everyone back.

Now you see me too