User blog:Ceauntay/Weekend Box Office: 'Heroes Forever: The New Beginning' Devours Huge Veterans Day With $75 million

'Almost Christmas' and 'Shut In' are also opening nationwide, although 'Shut In' already appears DOA.

Rita Christensen's Jane Hoop Elementary spin-off Heroes Forever: The New Beginning is looking to make in a huge veterans day debut earing in at least $125 million from 4,180 locations. A higher number may be possible.

Heroes Forever is projected to earn between $50 million to $60 million on Friday, including $20.5 million in Thursday night previews, which will make it 2016's sixth biggest opener behind Captain America: Civil War ($179 million), Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice ($166 million), Finding Dory ($135 million), Suicide Squad ($133 million) and Deadpool ($132 million).

It also would be the third biggest opening in Rita Christensen's superhero saga behind Jane Hoop Elementary: The Final Rush - Part 2 ($165.4 million) and Jane Hoop Elementary: The Final Rush - Part 1 ($130.9 million).

Heroes Forever: The New Beginning hopes to launch a new franchise for Christensen and Paramount Pictures, home of blockbuster Jane Hoop Elementary film series, based on Christensen's books.

Unlike Jane Hoop Elementary, Heroes Forever isn't based on a book, but on a script written by Christensen. Gary Ross directed.

As originally planned for a trilogy, but in Apr. 2016, Christensen announced that she would extend the franchise to a total of five films. She will be screenwriter for all five film installments.

The film stars Jessie actor Cameron Boyce as Devin Gorden, the new leader of the new Jane Hoop Elementary, who must learn for himself to protect the world from evil despite never realizing that he is given a special gift. Devin happens to be the son of Danny and Rebecca, who both were the original Jane Hoop Elementary heroes in the Jane Hoop Elementary days. G. Hannelis and Marcus Scribner also stars as his siblings, Brooke Gorden, Danny and Rebecca's daughter, and Kurtis Gutzwiller, Alec and Naudia's son, both also original members in the Jane Hoop Elementary days.

In other releases, Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi film Arrival and holiday comedy Almost Christmas are both enjoying a solid launch at the Veterans Day box office, although neither were ever expected to topple holdovers Doctor Strange and Trolls.

Arrival is projected to gross $6.5 million Friday, including $1.5 million in Thursday night previews, for a $16 million-plus debut.

Starring Amy Adams as a linguistic expert who is recruited to communicate with aliens who have landed on Earth in mysterious pods, the critically acclaimed movie is playing in 2,317 theaters.

The film, also starring Jeremy Renner, began its life as an independent film before Paramount pre-bought North American rights to the adult drama for a record-breaking $20 million in 2014. It is produced and financed by FilmNation, Lava Bear and 21 Laps with a script by Eric Heisserer, based on Story of Your Life by author Ted Chiang.

The $47 million film also stars Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg and Mark O’Brien. Almost Christmas is projected to earn $5 million Friday for a debut of $15 million for Universal and producer Will Packer. The ensemble movie, targeting African-American audiences, stars Danny Glover as a patriarch of a large family that comes together for the holidays and deals with complicated family dynamics.

Kimberly Elise, Omar Epps, Romany Malco, Mo’Nique, Nicole Ari Parker, J.B. Smoove, Gabrielle Union, Jessie Usher and DC Young Fly also star in the comedy, which earned $507,000 Thursday night.

Marvel's and Disney's latest superhero film Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, is expected to take second place at the weekend with $36 million or more, followed by Trolls with $32 million-plus in its sophomore session (some believe the two movies will come in $2 million-$3 million higher).

After Arrival and Almost Christmas, the weekend's other new nationwide offering is Shut In. The thriller, from EuropaCorp, appears DOA and may not earn more than $3 million for the weekend.