David Ayer's Suicide Squad is looking to steal another #1 spot at the box office this weekend. That would put the Warner Bros./DC Comics film in elite competition in 2016 since only Deadpool, Zootopia, The Jungle Book, and Finding Dory have managed to hold off newcomers for the top spot three weekends in a row. In other words, it's a feat that neither Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or Captain America: Civil War could manage this year. That's pretty impressive, if it works out the way analysts are predicting.

The financial success continues for the antihero film since it just crossed the $500 million mark at the worldwide box office this week, ahead of its third frame. Suicide Squad will face newcomers Ben-Hur from MGM and Paramount, which could turn in anywhere between $15 and $20 million (though I wouldn't be surprised if the faith-based moviegoing market helped push it higher than expected); Warner Bros. R-rated comedy War Dogs between $12 and $15 million; and Laika/Focus Features' animated epic Kubo and the Two Strings. Past domestic opening weekends for the stop-motion picture house have been between $14 and 18 million.

Image via Warner Bros.[/caption]

And yet, despite Suicide Squad's success so far, analysts are expecting the film to fall short of mega-blockbuster box office performances. Expectations have the flick topping out around $600 to $650 million world wide. Certainly a hit for the studio, but nowhere near the billion-dollar-club. Still, a solo Deadshot and/or Harley Quinn movie should be an easy sell moving forward.

For more of our coverage on Suicide Squad, be sure to check out some of our recent write-ups below:

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Image via GB Posters