A ruthless, man-eating lion won’t be Idris Elba‘s toughest opponent this weekend. The reputable actor is set to spearhead Beast, the wild thriller serving as the latest of Universal’s summer slate. While it’s got all the tools to tackle the box office, it faces stiff competition from a high-profile import.
Indeed, going head-to-head with Beast is Toei Animation’s Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, the latest film in the legendary anime franchise, expected to bank as high as $15 million at the box office this weekend, whereas Beast will hope to make it to $10 million.
Based on Akira Toriyama’s genre-defining Dragon Ball series, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, penned by Toriyama himself and directed by Tetsuro Kodama, follows a plight shouldered by Gohan and Piccolo, the son and ally of series protagonist Son Goku, respectively, as they attempt to save the world from the Red Ribbon Army, who deploy two powerful androids, Gamma 1 and Gamma 2, to destroy them.
Beast, meanwhile, stars Idris Elba as Dr. Nate Samuels, a recently widowed wildlife biologist who brings his two daughters on a trip to South Africa, hoping to heal from the loss and visit a wildlife game reserve managed by a close friend. The journey quickly plunges into peril, however, when a ferocious lion, who survived a poacher attack and now harbors a hatred for humans, begins to go on the hunt for them, forcing Nate to put his capabilities to the ultimate test.
Beast and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero both release to theaters on Aug. 19; let the battle begin!