SIX TIPS, OR HOW TO PLEASE YOUR SLATE – THE FILMS OF 7/29

[numbersix]

Summer’s over! That’s the news the theatres are telling the kids as they dash out of their schools in hope of endless amusement and joy as their holidays start. Nice work, Hollywood, why don’t you send every child in the country additional homework, too? For while August should be a time to hang out, catch some flick, or flick some chicks, we now seem to be entering a dead zone of cinema, with only 1 or 2 potential blockbusters towering over the filler. More on that next month. But right now, we’re still clinging on to the success of fresh fare such as Nope (which opened to $44m), and Top Gun 2, featuring the only actor with a scarier grin than Kirk Douglas. And this week there’s one more contender.




DC League of Super-Pets (Warner) is a clunky, ugly title for a film, but nevertheless it’s a big, broad family film. As one can guess, it follows the escapades of the various pets of DC heroes – Superman’s dog, Batman’s single-cell amoeba, The Flash’s pack of brainwashed underage children, etc. Okay, I haven’t read the synopsis, but you get the drift. It’s an admittedly novel way to further exploit the drained pool of the Justice League and buy some time as they desperately attempt to dress up like cooler sibling MCU. The animation features some impressive voice talent, such as The Rock, Keanu Reeves, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnion, and Natasha Lyonne. Pretty much every category of human is catered for here.

It’s going to be a tuff(ty) fight for these furries, though. The last two months have had some big cartoons, most notably Minions 2, which is still going strong, the disappointing Lightyear, and Paws of Fury, which failed to make it out of the cage. But it is the last major one of the summer, so we should see giraffe-like legs. I’m going to predict a little less than most, with an opening in the $30m range but a strong hold across August, reaching around $100m. In Ultimate expect to see 10 T5 points, 8 PTA, and a mid 6’s IMDB score. That’s pretty good for $16 in Ultimate, where it may challenge Nope’s stats in all but IMDB, and even $18 in BO, as you could see a 5x multiplier, which is rare across late July and August. So if you’ve the space, it’s worth a gamble.





What are Focus up to? Do they want to lose their jobs? This week’s Vengeance, like their last few releases, is going out far too wide for its own good resulting in some pretty poor performances. This film, the directorial debut of The Office album BJ (I bet he thinks this is a great way to chat up ladies) Novak, is a dark comedy about a podcaster investigating the death of a past lover. It’s a Blumhouse joint, so expect dark shenanigans. Reviews are mixed-positive, and the cast are not enough to make this break out. Expect a $5m cume at most, and not much else for your $4 in Ultimate. Skip this cold plate of a film for BO too.

Onto the limited releases, and this week we have three contenders duking it out for some precious PTA points.




A Love Song (Bleecker St) is a gentle story set by a rural remote Colorado lake where two recently widowed old friends reconnect for a fleeting moment. It first played in Sundance, and certainly feels like the kind of film that would appeal to Nomadland fans, plus the reviews have been solid.




Ali and Ava (Greenwich) is the latest film from Clio Barnard, whose dark social realism has now morphed into a moving platonic relationship between two middle-aged people in the British city of Bedford, one being a Muslim man in a failed relationship, the other a white divorced woman. This cross cultural romance also has some impressive reviews behind it, and it happens to be one of my personal favourites of the year.




Finally, Sharp Stick (Utopia) is Lena Dunham’s latest film after over a decade of TV showrunning and directing. Here, the dramedy is about a teenager’s sexual awakening with an older man. However, the response has been pretty divisive, with some loving its fresh openness and female gaze, while others labelling it lazy and unimaginative.

All three are opening quite limited – just NY and/or LA. And even though Dunham’s film is getting poor reviews, her NY profile might overcome that. That said, it still has the least potential with newcomer Utopia putting it on VOD in a week or two. A Love Song should beat out Ali and Ava due to its US setting, and Bleecker’s slightly bulkier budget for marketing. So worth the risk for $3 in ultimate. Needless to say avoid for BO.


Predictions for the weekend

1. DC League of Superpets - $31m
2. Nope - $20m
3. Thor: Love and Thunder - $13m
4. Minions: The Rise of Gru - $10m
5. Top Gun Maverick: $8m


PTA: DC League, A Love Song, Ali and Ava, Nope, Thor

Next week our robot buddy Tranny targets 3 wide releases: Bullet Train, Easter Sunday, and Bodies Bodies Bodies, alongside limited release I Love my Dad.

[transformers2]

it follows the escapades of the various pets of DC heroes – Superman’s dog, Batman’s single-cell amoeba, The Flash’s pack of brainwashed underage children, etc. Okay, I haven’t read the synopsis, but you get the drift. It’s an admittedly novel way to further exploit the drained pool of the Justice League and buy some time as they desperately attempt to dress up like cooler sibling MCU. The animation features some impressive voice talent, such as The Rock, Keanu Reeves, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnion, and Natasha Lyonne. Pretty much every category of human is catered for here.

Well played my friend.

[Chienfantome]

I wish this was the real synopsis of DC Super-Hero pets of whatever's the title

[Buscemi2]

I'm sure it's just The Secret Life of Pets made for Snydercut, by Snydercut.

And now, FSBS is going to be a lifestyle line.

As for Vengeance, this looks like an episode of something like Fargo or Yellowstone in feature length and have no idea why it's getting critical praise.

[transformers2]

Superpets did $2.2 mil in previews yesterday, which is roughly double what The Bad Guys did ahead of its $23.95 mil opening back in April.

[numbersix]

Although it'll be slightly more frontloaded due to its franchise connections

[Buscemi2]

Also, kids are out of school. When The Bad Guys had its advance screenings, it was a school night.

[Buscemi2]

Cinemascores:
DC League of Superpets: A-
Vengeance: B+

[transformers2]

Weekend Estimates:
DC League of Superpets $23 mil
Nope $18.5 mil
Thor: Love and Thunder $13.1 mil
Minions: The Rise of Gru $10.9 mil
Top Gun: Maverick $8.2 mil
Where the Crawdads Sing $7.5 mil
Elvis $5.8 mil
The Black Phone $2.5 mil
Jurassic World Dominion $2.1 mil
Vengeance $1.8 mil

[transformers2]

Weekend Actuals:
1.DC League of Superpets $23 mil
2.Nope $18.6 mil
3.Thor: Love and Thunder $13.2 mil
4.Minions: The Rise of Gru $11 mil
5.Top Gun Maverick $8.4 mil
6.Where the Crawdads Sing $7.6 mil
7.Elvis $5.7 mil
8.The Black Phone $2.5 mi
9.Jurassic World Dominon $2.2 mil
10.Vengeance $1.8 mil

PTA:
1.Sharp Stick $9,071 (Pulled from The Numbers/Deadline. BOM doesn't have it on their chart for some reason)
2.DC League of Superpets $5,332
3.Nope $4,882
4.A Love Song $4,011
5.Thor: Love and Thunder $3,610

[Buscemi2]

Sharp Stick doesn't have a Box Office Mojo listing. Also, I believe Dunham did some Q&A's at one of the New York theatres (the Quad Cinema, which doesn't have big auditoriums), which might have padded the gross.