Can 'Cats' Find New life at the Box Office?

“Cats,” the big-screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash musical, has been the subject of much internet scrutiny since Universal first debuted footage over summer. Will curiosity for the art form now known in popular culture as “digital fur technology” translate into commercial success?

As anticipation for the cinematic spectacle heightens ahead of its Dec. 20 release, “Cats” is still on pace to make $15 million to $17 million in its inaugural outing. Universal positioned the film as counter-programming against “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” and Disney’s final chapter in the Skywalker saga is projected to land one of the biggest opening weekends of the year.

Musicals are a polarizing genre, making it tricky when it comes to predicting box office fortunes. But “Cats,” in a way, is its own kind of four-quadrant movie: those genuinely excited (including fans of the property), those cautiously curious, those interested in a hate-watching and those who wouldn’t be caught dead buying a ticket.