Welcome to the Box Office Oracle–where new movies are pitted against each other for box office supremacy and only one can claim victory. Each week, I will be doing a quick box office prediction for all wide new releases. Sorry, obscure indie films I’ve never heard of, but you aren’t going to be discussed here unless you become big.

This is also something I’m going to keep as free of “controversy” if I can. This means that if, I don’t know, Jon Voight is voicing an evil government agent talking bear in a DreamWorks movie, I’m not going to make a bunch of Trump jokes. If a Tom Cruise actioner comes out, I’m not going to make a bunch of Scientology cracks. You get the idea. I want for this to be kept fun and simple.

So, without any further discussion, let’s go into this weekend’s solo big release, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Quentin Tarantino returns to theaters for the first time in nearly four years with his ninth (and he claims second-to-last) film, this time centered about a television actor played by Leonardo DiCaprio who’s concerned he’s at risk of becoming a has-been. Brad Pitt is his best friend, while Margot Robbie is his next door neighbor…Sharon Tate. So, yeah, Charles Manson, in true Tarantino fashion, does become involved, though the marketing has somewhat downplayed this aspect, focusing instead on the comedy and the (extremely impressive) cast.

The box office could go any which way here. As a film, this appears to be slightly less mainstream than Inglorious Bastards or especially Django Unchained (probably the only crowd-pleaser ever made about slavery), as the Manson-plot is slightly more risky since it deals with a much more recent chapter of history than either of those movies did. Having said that, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt are both huge draws for audiences, and Margot Robbie (who plays Tate) has earned rising star status largely thanks to her role in Suicide Squad. Reviews are great with a current RT score of 88% “fresh,” which is a lot better than Tarantino’s last pic The Hateful Eight got to enjoy (it earned a “fine” 74% score). It’s going to be no match whatsoever for The Lion King, but look for Hollywood to debut to a solid $34 million.

Why Your Fortune Cookie Tells You To Go: No one is able to make exploitation cinema into highly entertaining art quite like Tarantino; the trailers are extremely funny while also hinting at a fair amount of tragedy.  And the cast should be worth the price of admission.
Why Your Fortune Cookie Tells You To Stay Away: The Hateful Eight split filmgoers with its ridiculously long running time and violence that felt nasty even by Tarantino’s standards. And there are those out there who won’t be eager to watch a popcorn cruncher which also includes the Sharon Tate murder.
Today’s Lucky Lotto Numbers: $34 million opening; $128 million finish.

* Other fun stuff…

* The Lion King is showing insanely big numbers this week (it made $30 million on Tuesday alone), so don’t expect for it to be frontloaded. A second weekend of $90 million or more would make perfect sense.

* I’ve seen The Lion King twice. It’s definitely worth seeing on the big screen, even if you are (more so than in the past Disney remakes) essentially being served the exact same movie again.

* Also, if you don’t want to go to the new Lion King, fine, but don’t be an ass about it and urge parents not to take their kids. Let them do what they want with their children, dammit.

* I’ve only seen four of Tarantino’s films in their entirety. I loved Bastards and Django, was on the fence about The Hateful Eight, and enjoyed Kill Bill: Vol. 1 but have never checked out Vol. 2 for whatever reason.

* Leo was a terrific villain in Django, and probably would’ve gotten an Oscar nomination for it if he hadn’t been playing a slave plantation owner.

* I recommend Yesterday as lighthearted summer fare. Lily James is delightful.

* So, what will you be doing this weekend? Hollywood? Simba? Hollywood and Simba? Sound off in the comments!