"Mamma Mia!" sequel expected to top North American box office

REUTERS - The musical world of "Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again" is expected to take the top spot at the North American box office when it opens this weekend with expected ticket sales of $38 million from Friday (July 20) to Sunday (July 22), according to box office monitoring site www.boxofficepro.com. Ten years after the movie version of the hit theater musical, "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" sees old faces return and new ones join the ABBA sing-along set on a picturesque Greek island where stars belt out tracks by the hugely popular Swedish band. The plot follows on from the first film, which grossed over $600 million at the box office in 2008, but this time has flashbacks explaining how Meryl Streep's character Donna arrived in Greece. "The Equalizer 2" is expected to come in in second place when it opens on Friday (July 20). The sequel, which sees Oscar-winner Denzel Washington reprise the role of vigilante Robert McCall, is expected to bring in $28.5 million by Sunday (July 22). Sony's "Hotel Transylvania: Summer Vacation" is expected to drop into third place with box office takings for the animated movie coming in at $23.5 million from Friday (July 20) to Sunday (July 22), according to www.boxofficepro.com. Disney and Marvel's "Ant-Man and The Wasp" is expected in the fourth position with a box office haul of $15.3 million while Dwayne Johnson's "Skyscraper" should fall to fifth place with $11.9 million in ticket sales, according to www.boxifficepro.com.