The box office is in need of saving after a rough start to the fall season. October 2025 was the worst month in nearly three decades, with disappointments and flops abound that kneecapped the entire period. November figures to bring greener pastures with expected blockbusters like “Wicked: For Good” and “Zootopia 2” on deck. But are we overlooking “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” as a possible sleeper hit? Though it’s certainly not a guarantee, this long-awaited sequel has the potential to surprise.
Directed by Ruben Fleischer (“Uncharted”), the third entry in the “Now You See Me” franchise is currently expected to pull in between $12 and $17 million domestically when it opens next weekend, per Box Office Theory. It’s likely to take the silver medal since Edgar Wright’s “The Running Man” adaptation is eying an opening of at least $20 million. So, on the surface, that’s not terribly promising, especially when we consider that “Now You See Me 2” cost around $90 million to produce. This third magical heist flick looks to be similarly expensive. But there’s more to this equation than meets the eye.
2013’s “Now You See Me” opened to $29.3 million domestically en route to $351.7 million worldwide. “Now You See Me 2” opened a little softer at $22.3 million and still made it to $334.8 million globally, a big success by anyone’s math. These movies have never relied on big, flashy opening weekends to make their hay. That’s because they’ve been outsized hits internationally, which is undoubtedly what Lionsgate is hoping for here … especially after the studio had its worst year ever at the box office in 2024. It could use a win, and, if all goes well, this could be that win.
Read more: 12 Best Unofficial Movie Trilogies Of All Time, Ranked
The Now You See Me movies were monster hits overseas
Woody Harrleson as Merritt McKinney standing by Morgan Freeman as Thaddeus Bradley as he drinks whiskey in Now You See Me: Now You Don’t – Lionsgate
The third “Now You See Me” movie follows the now-retired Horsemen as they reunite for a diamond heist and team up with some new, younger performers. Returning cast members include Jesse Eisenberg (J. Daniel Atlas), Woody Harrelson (Merritt McKinney), Dave Franco (Jack Wilder), Isla Fisher (Henley Reeves), and Morgan Freeman (Thaddeus Bradley), with newcomers Dominic Sessa (“The Holdovers”), Justice Smith (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”), Ariana Greenblatt (“Barbie”), and Rosamund Pike (“Saltburn”) rounding out the cast.
If we assume that overseas appeal is still there, an under $20 million start for this movie is far from a death sentence. To put things into perspective, “Now You See Me” made nearly two-thirds of its money internationally, while “Now You See Me 2” made just over 80% of its money overseas. It seems that audience grew between installments, and for a Hollywood film, that level of ticket sales coming overseas is exceptionally rare. Granted, international box office returns have dwindled for U.S. movies in recent years, so that’s going to be a factor here.
But there are exceptions to every rule and, historically, this franchise has been an outlier. Certain films simply play better for international audiences. Indeed, “F1” is the biggest original movie of 2025 with $629.5 million globally, 70% of which came from overseas ticket sales. It still happens, and it could happen here, too.
It helps that this movie could also play well into the Thanksgiving holiday frame, thriving for weeks to come. If audiences are on this film’s side, it could look like a magic trick when all’s said and done. Then again, if the international ticket sales are soft, it could be tough sledding.
“Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” opens in theaters on November 14, 2025.
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