5 Potential Box Office Surprises This Holiday Season

Five holiday season films are poised to surprise audiences at the box office. The first is "The Cat in the Hat," a Bill Hader-led family film from Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, projected to open with over $40 million. Strong word of mouth is expected to solidify its hold on Thanksgiving audiences. Next, "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping," a prequel to the popular franchise, could outperform its $362 million worldwide total if it maintains positive reviews and features a cameo from Jennifer Lawrence.

The third potential surprise is "Focker-in-Law," the sequel sequel to the beloved "Meet the Parents" franchise. With the backing of Ariana Grande and nostalgia for the original films, this live-action comedy could capitalize on the Thanksgiving release date. The fourth surprise is "Avengers: Doomsday," a creative reset of the MCU.

If it achieves $1 billion worldwide, the narrative for the franchise is reinstated. Lastly, "Mr. Irrelevant," a true-story film about the 1983 NFL draft, might become a word-of-mouth hit for Christmas, thanks to its underdog theme and involvement of Tom Cruise. The final film to watch is "You Can See Everything," which is expected to lead the box office for the first time in its run, grossing $63.9 million in its third weekend, just above "Clayface."

Despite the film's impressive performance, it may not reach the $100 million domestic mark necessary for it to be the second-highest grossing documentary in U.S./Canada history.