Box Office Battle: 'Mamma Mia,' 'Equalizer' sequels hit theaters

Opening this weekend and expected to take the top two spots at the box office are Comcast (CMCSA, CMCSK) subsidiary Universal's "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" and Sony's (SNE) "The Equalizer 2." The "Mamma Mia" sequel, a musical that is opening at more than 3,300 theaters, is expected to domestically earn in the range of $35M-$40M. Action thriller "The Equalizer 2," starring Denzel Washington, is expected to open in the $25M-$30M range. In its second weekend at theaters, Sony's "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation," the third film in the animated series starring the voices of Adam Sandler and Selena Gomez, is expected to bring in an additional $25M-$26M. Disney (DIS) Marvel Cinematic Universe film "Ant-Man and the Wasp," starring Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly as the titular superheroes, is expected to earn around $15M in its third weekend at theaters. Other publicly traded companies in filmmaking include 21st Century Fox (FOX, FOXA), AT&T (T), Lionsgate (LGF.A, LGF.B), and Viacom (VIA, VIAB).