The Meg chews up the box office as BEATS expectations – will there be a sequel?

The Jason Statham-fronted shark movie is reportedly doing substantially better than previous forecasts suggested, which would have put it in line for a $20-22 million debut.

Instead, Variety reports it is now en route to a hefty $32 million.

On Thursday night it generated a sturdy $4 million in previews; which is double what Skyscraper – which came out just weeks ago and targeted a similar demographic – achieved on its way to a $24 million weekend.

So if The Meg manages to do better than anyone predicted, could it potentially get a sequel?

“I think it’s like anything in this day and age — if it makes money, there’s obviously an appetite to make more money,” Statham previously told Entertainment Weekly.

“And if it doesn’t do well, they’ll soon sweep it under the carpet. But that’s the way Hollywood works.

“Everyone tries to make a good film, and it lies in the hands of the audience.

“People are the ultimate decider; the audience is the decider of whether anything gets to be a sequel or not.”

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is expected to drop to No2 in its third week on release, with around $17 million in takings

Christopher Robin and BlacKkKlansman are battling for third place in the $11-13 million range, and Slender Man is eyeing up a soft $10 million arrival.

Here in the UK, the film The Meg will have to beat is Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again.

The ABBA hit-packed sequel has been top of the heap for three Friday-Sunday periods, although Mission: Impossible – Fallout and Ant-Man and the Wasp both eclipsed it when their weekday previews were factored in.