Detective Pikachu Has Strong Thursday Night US Box Office Opening

Interest seems high in Ash Ketchum's yellow-fur companion, as the Pokemon movie Detective Pikachu has opened at the box office with an impressive $5.7 million on Thursday night in the US.

According to Variety, Detective Pikachu--directed by Rob Letterman (Goosebumps, Shark Tale)--came in not far behind Shazam's $5.9 million Thursday opening last month. With the movie expanding to 4,202 theatres Friday, the Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures collaboration has positioned itself to take on the second biggest movie of all time, Avengers: Endgame, which is currently sitting comfy at $2.321 billion worldwide since its April 26 debut.

Variety suggests forecasts for Detective Pikachu shoot "as high as $80 million," but Warner Bros. estimate it'll fall closer to $50 million. We'll know for sure in a few days.

Detective Pikachu, based on the 2018 3DS game of the same name, sees Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool 2, The Hitman's Bodyguard) and Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Paper Towns) team up to search for Smith's character's missing father.

Detective Pikachu also stars Kathryn Newton (Blockers, Lady Bird), Karan Soni (Deadpool 2, Ghostbusters), Ken Watanabe (Isle of Dogs, Transformers: The Last Knight), Rita Ora (Fifty Shades Freed, Southpaw), and Suki Waterhouse (Billionaire Boys Club, Divergent: Insurgent).

In our Detective Pikachu review, we said the movie "should prove enjoyable for any and all Pokémon fans, young or old." If you've seen the movie, be sure to check out our look at all the Detective Pikachu Easter eggs and references.