April 19, 2024
The Hot Blog
amit on: Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
Christian on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: Review: Marriage Story (spoilers only in the broadest sense)
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
YancySkancy on: Review: Little Women (no spoilers)
Hcat on: Why You Should Be Afraid Of The End Of The Paramount Decree
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: I Should Be Doing Box Office
Review: Little Women (no spoilers)
Why You Should Be Afraid Of The End Of The Paramount Decree
Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
Review: Marriage Story (spoilers only in the broadest sense)
| Friday | Screens | % Chg | Cume | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Gross | Thtr | % Chgn | Cume |
| Venom | 33 | 4250 | NEW | 33 |
| A Star is Born | 15.7 | 3686 | NEW | 15.7 |
| Smallfoot | 3.5 | 4131 | -46% | 31.3 |
| Night School | 3.5 | 3019 | -63% | 37.9 |
| The House Wirh a Clock in its Walls | 1.8 | 3463 | -43% | 49.5 |
| A Simple Favor | 1 | 2408 | -50% | 46.6 |
| The Nun | 0.75 | 2264 | -52% | 111.5 |
| Hell Fest | 0.6 | 2297 | -70% | 7.4 |
| Crazy Rich Asians | 0.6 | 1466 | -51% | 167.6 |
| The Predator | 0.25 | 1643 | -77% | 49.3 |
| Also Debuting | ||||
| The Hate U Give | 0.17 | 36 | ||
| Shine | 85,600 | 609 | ||
| Exes Baggage | 75,900 | 62 | ||
| NOTA | 71,300 | 138 | ||
| 96 | 61,600 | 62 | ||
| Andhadhun | 55,000 | 54 | ||
| Afsar | 45,400 | 33 | ||
| Project Gutenberg | 36,000 | 17 | ||
| Love Yatri | 22,300 | 41 | ||
| Hello, Mrs. Money | 22,200 | 37 | ||
| Studio 54 | 5,300 | 1 | ||
| Loving Pablo | 4,200 | 15 |
| 3-Day Estimates | Weekend | % Chg | Cume |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Good Dead | 24.4 (11,230) | NEW | 24.4 |
| Dolphin Tale 2 | 16.6 (4,540) | NEW | 16.6 |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | 7.9 (2,550) | -23% | 305.8 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 4.8 (1,630) | -26% | 181.1 |
| The Drop | 4.4 (5,480) | NEW | 4.4 |
| Let's Be Cops | 4.3 (1,570) | -22% | 73 |
| If I Stay | 4.0 (1,320) | -28% | 44.9 |
| The November Man | 2.8 (1,030) | -36% | 22.5 |
| The Giver | 2.5 (1,120) | -26% | 41.2 |
| The Hundred-Foot Journey | 2.5 (1,270) | -21% | 49.4 |
Review: Little Women (no spoilers) - The Hot Blog
Box Office First Look - The Hot Blog
Why You Should Be Afraid Of The End Of The Paramount Decree - The Hot Blog
“The Grandmaster” is definitely a disappointment; under $20000 PTA is not a good sign, since Weinstein plans to expand the film to 500 theaters next weekend….
Weinstein re-edited “The Grandmaster” and then promote the film a lot (with Martin Scorsese’s support). But now, it looks like “The Grandmaster” may not gross higher than another Tony Leung starrer “Lust, Caution” in US….
It still amazes me that the always critically well reviewed and popularly well received X-Men series always has such shitty legs.
The problem with GRANDMASTER may be that we just had two swell IP MAN movies in the last couple of years and don’t need to see it rebooted so soon, especially by a pretentious art-house director whose understanding of the genre (based on the execrable ASHES OF TIME) is questionable.
Ouch, Cad! Your comments wounded me.
I adore WKW–I think he’s possibly the greatest filmmaker working today; certainly the greatest non-English language filmmaker–and “The Grandmaster” is my most eagerly awaited 2013 release.
But dissing “Ashes of Time” (or, sight unseen, “The Grandmaster”) for being strictly “genre films” is shortsighted. Like the best directors, WKW
merely uses genre as a jumping-off point to explore his usual themes, obsessions, style-as-sensibility, etc. It’s like complaining that Scorsese didn’t understand the Golden Age of MGM musicals when he made “New York, New York” because the film he made was less about Arthur Freed (or Vincente Minnelli) than it was about the dude who made “Taxi Driver” and “Mean Streets.”
You gotta love Simon Pegg.
“That was one of the things that blew me away about ‘Man of Steel,’ that at the end, they’re all at the Daily Planet office just going, “Hey! Let’s go see the Dodgers!” Isn’t everyone dead? Isn’t New York flat? What do you mean, go see the Dodgers?!”
Bulldog, the first Wolverine film was savaged by critics and fans and still made a lot of money. X-men First Class was well reviewed and still didnt make a lot of money. Not as much as they were hoping. The truth is, two X-men films were well reviewed. The third took a whipping from fans, and the first Wolverine was laughed at by just about everyone, and STILL the goodwill from earlier films earned that one a pretty decent haul. First Class and Wolverine have been showing the apathy setting in for these characters which is why they needed an Avengers-esque mash up of past and future for the next one in the hopes that it revitalizes the franchise.
Oh, and as i was over at Box Office Mojo, i saw their weekend box office preview and laughed when i read this:
“Among new entries this weekend, horror movie You’re Next seems like the strongest contender, and could claim first place ahead of Lee Daniels’ The Butler”
It sure did seem like ‘the strongest contender’ seeing as it finished in sixth place. Nice job B.O.M.! You certainly once again prove yourselves as the definitive expert on all things box office related!
“certainly the greatest non-English language filmmaker”
Putting aside Miyazaki, I think this was a fair argument 10 years ago, but Haneke’s recent output has moved him higher (Funny Games remake aside) no?…Though I haven’t seen “Grandmaster” yet, if anything it’s a real debate by now. Kiarostami is moving steadily into the conversation as well, for me at least.
Et- I appreciate the directors you cited, Et.
But WKW does “it” for me in a way no foreign language filmmaker has since…Fassbinder? Rohmer?
Universal is the last major studio to have a $1 billion worldwide hit. JURASSIC PARK got there this weekend thanks to a big opening in China. Better late than never I guess.
Uni also had a movie hit $800 million for the 2nd time without re-releases with DESPICABLE ME 2, which has an outside shot at $900 million (Monsters U has made 80 million+ and counting in Japan, where DM2 has yet to open among other countries). I think we have the #1 and #2 most profitable movies of the year locked in, no?
Re: THE WOVLVERINE, it’ll probably end up as the #2 film in the series worldwide, up 50 million+ on First Class, so I wouldn’t be too upset.
PERCY 2’s chances of catching PERCY 1 in overseas numbers look bleak. Oopsie. Between Percy, RED, Smurfs, and Grown Ups, all being way down, can box office writers please stop with the “sequels always make more than the originals overseas” line?
didn’t Yimou’s Hero open over the labor day weekend …. Grandmaster is definitely an art film but I thought it was great and there’s enough attention to the different styles of fighting that it will attract non-art fans too
It was definitely late August 2004, Berg. Maybe the weekend before Labor Day weekend?
Miramax gave “Hero” a much larger break (1,000+ screens) than Weinstein is giving “Grandmaster.”
In 2004 everyone was still chasing SPC’s “Crouching Tiger” money.
Nine years ago this weekend, movieman, berg. $18 million opening weekend despite having been on video elsewhere in the world since 2002. 2,031 screens.
I had the right date, but I lowballed the screen count.
Hadn’t realized it was quite that large a break.
I guess they really were chasing “Crouching Tiger” bucks.
If I remember correctly, “Hero” did about half ($50-million?) the domestic cume of Ang Lee’s film. More than respectable for a subtitled movie.
Miramax timed the US release of “Hero” to coincide with the Republican National Convention where George W. Bush was nominated for a second term. Chopsocky money has nothing to do with it.
Let me get this straight, Chucky.
Democratic fundraiser Harvey Weinstein deliberately timed the opening of “Hero” the week of the 2004 Republication Convention because he thought W. was a heroic figure, and that auds would naturally conflate the title of his movie with an illegitimate sitting president; then, in the spirit of patriotism, buy a ticket to a martial arts epic directed by arthouse auteur Zhang Yimou?
Sorry, you lost me.
I concede that I haven’t seen GRANDMASTER yet, though I do intend to and would be happy to be proven wrong. But WKW just does not do it for me. That doesn’t mean you all are wrong; it’s just my opinion.
And I do suggest renting the two IP MAN films, if for no other reason than comparisons.
No slight intended, Cad. You’re certainly entitled to your opinion.
I just get defensive whenever WKW gets maligned, lol.
Speaking of contrary opinions: I read the EW interview w/ Joss Whedon, and he came across as such a nice guy I felt a tad guilty for not liking his TV shows and movies more.
Looks like @movieman put words in my mouth. Miramax timed the US release of “Hero” for political purposes. This was when Miramax was (1) owned by Disney and (2) employed a right-wing gatekeeper with veto power over releases.
Not that I advocate talking about the Oscars before Fall (or, hell, January if I can help it), but after that trailer for Dallas Buyers Club, can anyone envision a universe where Matthew McConaughey doesn’t win Best Actor? Even if the movie ends up being “meh,” stars look lined up pretty much perfectly for him.
Chucky, oddly enough I read the actual movie HERO to be an apology for Chinese Communism. And SPOILER-ish alert,
the twist is that the guy is a hero, because he doesn’t assassinate the corrupt Emperor, because a corrupted totalitarian ruler is still better than chaos.
Not saying your theory is crazy (even though…come on), but that would make it really interesting political bedfellows there.
palm, that pretty much describes what i walked away with after Hero.
Choosing order instead of chaos. That Jet Li wasn’t the hero China needed, but was the one they deserved.
But people have also been talking up McConaughey for MUD. Isn’t there a risk of a vote-split?
I thought the vote-split myth was debunked with Soderbergh winning for TRAFFIC over ERIN BROCKOVICH…
Hot week in the old town tonight!
Even if there is vote-split worry (which I think cost him a nomination last year), I’m not sure it matters this year. Wouldn’t “Mud” be a supporting performance and “Dallas” a lead?
DALLAS has the weight-loss hook and a later release date, so MUD will fall to the side. Or maybe Chris is right; I haven’t seen MUD, so I don’t know if MM is lead or supporting in that.
What about McConaughey as supporting in “Wolf of Wall Street?”
Also, can we get a Telluride/Venice BYOB up in here? Raves abound for “Gravity.”
Agreed on Mud as too early in the year, and also possibly supporting. But if McConaughey kills it in WoWS, we could be looking at noms in both categories.
And Hero’s politics were deplorable, really hurt the film as far as I’m concerned. Of the two Yimou releases that year, for me, that’s what cemented it as the lesser of the two.
Haven’t seen Mud yet, but I do not get the Mc love from last year. I didn’t see him grow as a performer but just think people found how to put his skills portraying preening narcissists to better use.
I thought his performance in “Killer Joe” was unlike anything else he’d done to that point. There was just a sense of menace he’d never approached in the past.
Agreed, Etguild2, and “Paperboy” was another new dimension to him. As was “Bernie.” I, frankly, couldn’t stand the vast majority of his choices up until last year but those two performances convinced me he’s got something (“Magic Mike” was, admittedly, more in his usually smarmy wheelhouse, but he was put to good use).
Christian: Academy rules prevent actors from being nominated twice in the same category. I was thinking more along the lines of 1967, when Poitier had three major hits that triple-split votes and he ended up with no nomination.
Mc wasn’t preening in Bernie? The charecter was constantly posing for the cameras and the jury. As for killer joe he’s played handsome confident menace before in frailty and lone star. It’s just the movies are better darker etc. ironically once he stopped being any sort of box offi e draw the good pictures started coming his way.
“You gotta love Simon Pegg.
“That was one of the things that blew me away about ‘Man of Steel,’ that at the end, they’re all at the Daily Planet office just going, “Hey! Let’s go see the Dodgers!” Isn’t everyone dead? Isn’t New York flat? What do you mean, go see the Dodgers?!””
That’d be funnier if that wasn’t pretty much how Into Darkness ended, just destroying San Francisco instead.