Look! An Undead Movie Column...: New Releases of 11/22/17
Posted: November 22nd, 2017, 7:32 pm
...In where we guess which pixar character said which quote.
'He touched the butt' (an easy one for ya)
Oh no, who or where to lay the blame of DCEU's latest blunder? As i said before, it's a strange movie world, where a $90M+ opening is considered a failure. As well as JL being #10 top opening in November ever. Regardless, the biggest deal maker or breaker is where JL will end up at it's total. Maybe people are finally getting sick of superhero movies? No? just wishful thinking on my part then?
Moving on. Wonder was the shining star over the weekend and will probably continue to shine all the way through Christmas. Kind of reminds me of The Blind Side, opening above expectations and just beating those every weekend. This weekend will be the real test, if it improves in numbers from last week like some are calling, Who thinks Wonder can surpass $200M? I do, kudos to whoever picked it up in the Full Year League.
The Star beat predictions, but only slightly. I guess that's what you get for spending all your budget on a roster of b-list celebrity, you have no money left for advertisements. To be fair, it made back half of it's budget on the first weekend. I bet JL wishes it could say that.
'we're dead! we're dead! we survived, but we're dead!'
It seems all other studios were afraid to go up against an undead Pixar film, Coco (Disney/Pixar). I'm not sure why though, up till the last few months the main aura around the film and it's perception in the public eye has been about it's apparent similarities to Fox's The Book of Life and who can forget about Disney's misguided attempts at trying to trademark 'The Day of the Dead' (hence the name Coco). However, it ended up being the only wide release this friendsgiving weekend and Disney has worked overtime to try and make it look unique and i'm sure the monstrous box office in Mexico is helping drum up interest in america's Latino communities. Which to be fair is a market that isn't served a lot unfortunately. Altogether, Coco is looking to beat expectations and should come in on the higher end of this years top grossing films, maybe even taking Despicable Me 3 down for Top Grossing Animated film of the year. So if you didn't wast your money on JL and got money to spare, Coco would make a nice anchor on your slate.
Storyline
Despite his family's baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history..
I’ll predict a $60M (3-day) OW and $250M overall.
'I have just met you and I love you'
There are a 3 limited releases this weekend, 2 today actually and one will open on Friday. I usually lump them all together, but at least two are vying for Oscar Gold, so i think they deserve a bit more attention. One thing though that i would note for all releases this weekend, is that the next two weeks are fairly barren as far as high profile releases go. Which gives these movies a chance to grap a few extra PTA points before the heavy hitters arrive on December 15th.
The one with the highest profile being Call Me By Your Name(Sony Classic). It premiered in Sundance almost a year ago and has probably hit almost every festival of note since. It's gotten praise on almost every aspect of film making and acting and i'm sure we'll be hearing much more about the movie until Febraury's Oscars. What it will do for your slates is a bit harder to guess. However i would say there is more upside to this gamble and I'm looking forward to seeing what it will do for my FY slate.
Storyline
It's the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), a precocious 17- year-old American-Italian, spends his days in his family's 17th century villa transcribing and playing classical music, reading, and flirting with his friend Marzia (Esther Garrel). Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father (Michael Stuhlbarg), an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella (Amira Casar), a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows with natural delights. While Elio's sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart. One day, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a charming American scholar working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio's father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.
Next we have Darkest Hour (Focus Features), It hasn't been as critically acclaimed as Call Me, but almost all reviews have noted Gary Oldmans acting and the oscars do love to give their little guy away to actors who can disappear into their roles. (As long as it's not andy serkis). It's not a bad choice for your slates, but unlike Call Me By your Name, The Darkest Hour seems to have a ceiling as to how high it will be able to go.
Storyline
During the early days of World War II, the fate of Western Europe hangs on the newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Hitler, or fight on against incredible odds.
Lastly we have The Man on Invented Christmas (BleeckerStreet) debuting in 600+ theaters. Not good for PTA and unless people are really clamoring for a movie on the writer and inventor of Scrooge and the The Christmas Carol. I highly doubt it'll go anywhere in Box office either.
Storyline
The journey that led to Charles Dickens' creation of "A Christmas Carol," a timeless tale that would redefine the holiday.
'What's poo-ber-tea?'
My predictions for the weekend of November 24 - 26 , 2017:
1. Coco $60M
2. Justice League $43M
3. Wonder $26M
4. Thor Ragnarok $18M
5. Murder on the Orient Express $12M
PTA:
5. Coco
4. Call Me By Your Name
3. The Darkest Hour
2. Three Billboards
1. Justice LEague
Next week we have ... Well not much, except a few limited releases. Really looking forward to The Shape of Water though.
'First Rule of Leadership: Everything is your fault'
'He touched the butt' (an easy one for ya)
Oh no, who or where to lay the blame of DCEU's latest blunder? As i said before, it's a strange movie world, where a $90M+ opening is considered a failure. As well as JL being #10 top opening in November ever. Regardless, the biggest deal maker or breaker is where JL will end up at it's total. Maybe people are finally getting sick of superhero movies? No? just wishful thinking on my part then?
Moving on. Wonder was the shining star over the weekend and will probably continue to shine all the way through Christmas. Kind of reminds me of The Blind Side, opening above expectations and just beating those every weekend. This weekend will be the real test, if it improves in numbers from last week like some are calling, Who thinks Wonder can surpass $200M? I do, kudos to whoever picked it up in the Full Year League.
The Star beat predictions, but only slightly. I guess that's what you get for spending all your budget on a roster of b-list celebrity, you have no money left for advertisements. To be fair, it made back half of it's budget on the first weekend. I bet JL wishes it could say that.
'we're dead! we're dead! we survived, but we're dead!'
It seems all other studios were afraid to go up against an undead Pixar film, Coco (Disney/Pixar). I'm not sure why though, up till the last few months the main aura around the film and it's perception in the public eye has been about it's apparent similarities to Fox's The Book of Life and who can forget about Disney's misguided attempts at trying to trademark 'The Day of the Dead' (hence the name Coco). However, it ended up being the only wide release this friendsgiving weekend and Disney has worked overtime to try and make it look unique and i'm sure the monstrous box office in Mexico is helping drum up interest in america's Latino communities. Which to be fair is a market that isn't served a lot unfortunately. Altogether, Coco is looking to beat expectations and should come in on the higher end of this years top grossing films, maybe even taking Despicable Me 3 down for Top Grossing Animated film of the year. So if you didn't wast your money on JL and got money to spare, Coco would make a nice anchor on your slate.
Storyline
Despite his family's baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history..
I’ll predict a $60M (3-day) OW and $250M overall.
'I have just met you and I love you'
There are a 3 limited releases this weekend, 2 today actually and one will open on Friday. I usually lump them all together, but at least two are vying for Oscar Gold, so i think they deserve a bit more attention. One thing though that i would note for all releases this weekend, is that the next two weeks are fairly barren as far as high profile releases go. Which gives these movies a chance to grap a few extra PTA points before the heavy hitters arrive on December 15th.
The one with the highest profile being Call Me By Your Name(Sony Classic). It premiered in Sundance almost a year ago and has probably hit almost every festival of note since. It's gotten praise on almost every aspect of film making and acting and i'm sure we'll be hearing much more about the movie until Febraury's Oscars. What it will do for your slates is a bit harder to guess. However i would say there is more upside to this gamble and I'm looking forward to seeing what it will do for my FY slate.
Storyline
It's the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), a precocious 17- year-old American-Italian, spends his days in his family's 17th century villa transcribing and playing classical music, reading, and flirting with his friend Marzia (Esther Garrel). Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father (Michael Stuhlbarg), an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella (Amira Casar), a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows with natural delights. While Elio's sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart. One day, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a charming American scholar working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio's father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.
Next we have Darkest Hour (Focus Features), It hasn't been as critically acclaimed as Call Me, but almost all reviews have noted Gary Oldmans acting and the oscars do love to give their little guy away to actors who can disappear into their roles. (As long as it's not andy serkis). It's not a bad choice for your slates, but unlike Call Me By your Name, The Darkest Hour seems to have a ceiling as to how high it will be able to go.
Storyline
During the early days of World War II, the fate of Western Europe hangs on the newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Hitler, or fight on against incredible odds.
Lastly we have The Man on Invented Christmas (BleeckerStreet) debuting in 600+ theaters. Not good for PTA and unless people are really clamoring for a movie on the writer and inventor of Scrooge and the The Christmas Carol. I highly doubt it'll go anywhere in Box office either.
Storyline
The journey that led to Charles Dickens' creation of "A Christmas Carol," a timeless tale that would redefine the holiday.
'What's poo-ber-tea?'
My predictions for the weekend of November 24 - 26 , 2017:
1. Coco $60M
2. Justice League $43M
3. Wonder $26M
4. Thor Ragnarok $18M
5. Murder on the Orient Express $12M
PTA:
5. Coco
4. Call Me By Your Name
3. The Darkest Hour
2. Three Billboards
1. Justice LEague
Next week we have ... Well not much, except a few limited releases. Really looking forward to The Shape of Water though.
'First Rule of Leadership: Everything is your fault'