Box Office: Will Smith’s ‘Focus’ makes $900,000 in Thursday Night Opening

Will Smith's latest motion picture "Focus" has debuted moderately in Thursday night pre-shows, bringing in $900,000 in the United States.

The R-rated crime comedy about con artists, which also features "Wolf of Wall Street" actress Margot Robbie, is expected to make $21 million this weekend once it opens in 3,323 locations. The Warner Bros. movie is expected to top the weekend box office without many other major movies coming out. The movie has also been projected to push out Universal Studios' raunchy romance "Fifty Shades of Grey," which stars Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, from the top spot in the U.S. box-office charts.

"Focus" follows veteran con man Nicky Spurgeon, played by Smith, in his latest scheme. Nicky is thrown for a loop when he discovered that his former tutee Jess Barrett, played by Robbie, is the girlfriend of his latest mark, Italian race car champ, Garriga (Rodrigo Santoro).

The movie has received good reviews so far with many movie critics praising Smith's ability to charm viewers. Smith and Robbie's chemistry has also been described as believable and likeable.

The film cost $50 million to produce. It was directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who teamed up for the 2012 romantic comedy "Stupid, Crazy, Love." That movie, which featured Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Steve Carell and Julianne Moore, made $142 million globally for Warner Bros.

This weekend's other release, Relativity's "The Lazarus Effect," grossed roughly $350,000 Thursday night and is estimated to bring in $12 to $14 million over the weekend. The low-budget horror film stars Mark Duplass and Olivia Wilde.