Aquaman, Mary Poppins Returns, and Bumblebee to go head-to-head in competitive holiday week

Let's get ready to rumble.

Five major blockbusters are about to go head-to-head at the box office in the most competitive holiday season moviegoers have seen in years. One is Warner Bros.' Aquaman, the latest D.C. universe flick, projected to come out on top with a three-day opening weekend nearing $70 million, and a total of $120 million by Christmas, per Deadline.

Also vying for audiences' attention is Disney's Mary Poppins Returns, which opened in theaters on Dec. 19. The musical starring Emily Blunt and Lin Manuel-Miranda is expected to make about $75 million between Wednesday and Tuesday, with a three-day opening of around $35 million. The onslaught of new releases doesn't stop there, as Paramount's Bumblebee hits theaters on Dec. 21 alongside Aquaman. A three-day haul of between $20 million and $25 million, and a total of up to $40 million by Christmas, is what's currently projected for the Transformers spinoff.

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Sony's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Universal's Mortal Engines, meanwhile, hope to draw in crowds who stayed home last weekend when they first opened. Spider-Verse already performed modestly well in its debut but could use a holiday boost, while Mortal Engines bombed so hard that the ship has essentially sailed on it turning a profit. Aside from the big blockbusters, there's also the Steve Carell drama Welcome to Marween and the Jennifer Lopez romantic comedy Second Act, both of which are eyeing sub-$10 million debuts.

It remains to be seen how these films perform after Christmas, at which point Vice and Holmes and Watson also open. But that will be just as key to victory, as the lucrative holiday season at the movies generally continues through New Year's Day. This year is particularly crowded since the Star Wars franchise is sitting December out for the first time since 2014, but the series will take back its usual slot next year with Episode IX.