'Son of God' and 'Non-Stop' Likely to Defeat 'The Lego Movie' at the Box Office

"The Lego Movie" will likely be dethroned soon from its postion as No. 1 box office draw by two new films making their debuts this weekend. 

"Son of God" opens in 3,256 theaters on Friday with a huge fan base having already bought $4.1 million in tickets. Based on The Bible, the movie tells the story of Jesus Christ, and while the movie has obtained bad reviews, the film could bring in about $14-30 million on its opening weekend. It is also the movie that will least be harmed by the Academy Awards on Sunday, due to its subject matter and the type of audience it's trying to approach.

Meanwhile, Liam Neeson is back in another action movie with "Non-Stop." The new movie tells the story of an air marshal who springs into action during a transatlantic flight after receiving a series of text messages that put his fellow passengers at risk unless the airline transfers $150 million into an off-shore account. The film, opening in 3,090 theaters, received mixed reviews and obtained a 56 percent aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and also stars Lupita Nyong'o and Julianne Moore. Universal expects the movie to open with $19-21 million, which would be on par with Neeson's "Taken" and "Unknown."

"The Lego Movie" is expected to continue its strong box office performance after three record weekends. With no other children's films in the market the movie will easily make $19 million and pass $200 million.

Relativity's action thriller "3 Days to Kill" failed to enthuse audiences last weekend and with "Non-Stop" entering the marketplace, the Kevin Costner film will suffer big losses. Making only $15 million its first week, the film is likely to bring in another $7 million.

Last weekend's big budget "Pompei" will likely continue to flop. The film barely registered $12.8 million throughout the first weekend and with the Oscars on Sunday and several new releases, the $100 million film will likely gross an unsatisfactory $5 million.

Three official Oscar selection films will also be released this weekend in art house theaters. "Stalingrad," a Russian movie that was the official Russian film entry for the Academy Awards, is being released in 308 theaters. The movie was the biggest grossing film in Russia; however, with little buzz and mixed reviews the film is unlikely to generate the same success.

Sony Classics will release India's official selection, "The Lunchbox" in three theaters, while IFC Films will release Germany's official selection "Two Lives" on VOD and in one theater.

Meanwhile, Lionsgate will release "Repentance," starring Forest Whitaker, Anthony Mackie and Mike Epps in 152 theaters. The movie has not had great marketing but based on the cast involved the film could surprise.

Finally, the Oscar-nominated animated film "The Wind Rises" will expand to 496 theaters. The movie opened to an outstanding $313,000 and could generate a bigger box office especially since the Oscars are this weekend and audiences will be curious to see what the movie is about.