The box office has been doing quite well over the past several weeks following a lackluster summer, but we're about to hit one of those slow weekend speedbumps. This weekend sees a trio of new releases coming down the pipeline in the form of STX's Countdown, Screen Gems' Black and Blue and 101 Studios' The Current War. Meanwhile, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil looks to hold strong and fend off the competition to keep the top spot for a second week in a row.

Indeed, it's been Disney's year and Maleficent 2, perhaps more than any other movie on their schedule, showcases why. This is considered something of a disappointment, as the sequel has underperformed in North America and is looking at between $18 and $21 million in its second weekend. However, the Angeline Jolie-led flick is already at $157.3 million globally and is on its way to becoming a relatively big overseas hit. Point being, even Disney's flops are capable of bringing in boatloads of cash.

As far as the weekend's new releases go, Black and Blue and Countdown will both be dancing around the $10 million mark. The former is a cop drama that stars Namie Harris and Tyrese Gibson. The Deon Taylor-directed thriller hasn't exactly wowed critics, as it currently sits at 59 percent at Rotten Tomatoes. On the flipside, we've got Countdown, a horror flick centered around an app that is looking to capitalize on the Halloween season. It was written and directed by Justin Dec, which serves as his directorial debut. While it's a toss-up, I personally give the edge, just barely, to Black and Blue on this one.

Moving on, we've got The Current War. Specifically, the director's cut of the long-awaited biopic, which centers on the early days of electricity, with Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult) at the story's center. This was originally supposed to hit theaters way back in 2017, but poor reviews coming out of festival screenings hampered things, and this also got caught up in the Harvey Weinstein drama as well. Finally, 101 Studios stepped in to release it and gave director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon a crack at a new edit, which has been received much more positively. Still, the biopic will be lucky to crack $3 million in its first frame.

Elsewhere, Joker looks to finish in the number two spot again as it closes in on becoming the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever. Zombieland: Double Tap should also do reasonably well in its second frame with between $12 and $15 million, making for a rare, long-awaited comedy sequel that defies the odds to become a hit. Be sure to check out our full list of weekend box office predictions below and check back with us on Sunday for the weekend estimates. Numbers used in this report were provided by Box Office Mojo.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil $20 million

Joker $17 million

Zombieland: Double Tap $14 million

Black and Blue $10 million

Countdown $9 million

The Addams Family $8 million

Gemini Man $4 million

The Current War $3 million

Abominable $2.5 million

Downton Abbey $2 million