Predicting 20 Highest Grossing Movies Of 2018

18. Bumblebee ($460 Million)

Release Date: December 21

Unless a few movies end up with their release dates shifted, late December is going to be one of the most epic box office battlegrounds in recent memory, with Aquaman, Alita: Battle Angel, Bumblebee and Mary Poppins Returns all fighting for your hard-earned cash over the Christmas week.

Though the Transformers franchise has begun to lose box office steam (with last year's The Last Knight grossing "only" $605.4 million), this prequel spin-off should prove a solid success for several reasons.

For starters, it's not directed by Michael Bay, the tone is said to be more kid-friendly and less obnoxious, and with a budget less than half that of The Last Knight, it's expected that the film will be a more personal, character-driven story (with Kubo and the Two Strings' Travis Knight directing).

$460 million would be a modest success by traditional Transformers standards, but the lower budget and clear attempt to diversify the series could make it an important step in pivoting the franchise away from Bay's tired treatment of the property.