When the two leads of Dog – one of the human variety and another of the canine persuasion – find their rhythm with each other, so does the film. That takes too long (about half of the running time) as we road trip though cartoonish potential threesomes and Mr. Magoo inspired humor. The screenplay from co-director Reid Carolin can’t seem to get out of its own way for the initial stretch. Fortunately Channing Tatum is the other co-director and his chemistry with the title character hits a stride in the back sections.
Tatum’s character was dropped into the Cool Sounding Movie Name Generator and out spat Jackson Briggs. He’s an ex Army Ranger doing menial jobs stateside and pining for a return of duty. When his former brother in arms dies in a car accident, he gets an assignment but not one sought. Briggs is tasked with transporting the deceased’s military dog Lulu from Washington State to the funeral in Arizona. Both Jackson and Lulu are suffering from PTSD. This is scheduled to be the latter’s final assignment as the aggressive hound will be euthanized following the burial.
While nothing in Dog says anything particularly fresh about its subject matter, the rapport between the stars elevates the material. It’s certainly their show as the supporting actors are bit players. Jane Adams and Kevin Nash show up as farmers of the up in smoke variety in one of the would be farcical excursions. Three Belgian Malinois portray the role of Lulu. Tatum was inspired by a real road trip that he took with his ailing pooch in creating the story. The dramatic stuff works better than the attempts at comedy in the early goings. More of that may have helped and Dog is roughly (or ruffly) equal parts hit and miss.
It was forty years ago that Ben Kingsley won the Academy Award for Best Actor as Gandhi. He’s been nominated three times since then – twice in supporting for 1991’s Bugsy and 2001’s Sexy Beast and in lead with 2003’s House of Sand and Fog.
Daliland closed the Toronto Film Festival and its release date is undetermined. Sir Ben plays famed artist Salvador Dali in his twilight years. This is the latest pic from Mary Harron, who made I Shot Andy Warhol, American Psycho, and The Notorious Bettie Page. Costars include Barbara Sukowa, Christopher Briney, and Rupert Graves.
With only a 40% Rotten Tomatoes rating, Daliland failed to make much of an impression at the Canadian fest. Whether it comes out in 2022 or 2023, I highly doubt awards branches will take notice either. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
Documentary filmmaker Margaret Brown explores her Alabama roots through the tracking of a slave ship in Descendant, which arrives in theaters in limited fashion and streams on Netflix October 21st. This is the latest venture from Higher Ground Productions, founded by former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama.
The company’s critical and awards history has been impressive. In 2019, American Factory won Best Documentary Feature. A year later, Crip Camp made the final five for consideration. Descendant, following its Sundance unveiling back in January, is garnering acclaim. The Rotten Tomatoes score is 100%.
I’ve had Descendant listed in either 2nd or 3rd place in my projections for the Doc derby. I expect it to get in and it could win. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
David O. Russell’s Amsterdam will need to rely on star power to bring in audiences when it opens October 7th. Considering the middling word-of-mouth and so-so trailers and TV spots, that could be an uphill battle. The comedic mystery is the filmmaker’s first picture since 2015’s Joy. It boasts an impressive cast led by Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington. Other familiar faces include Zoe Saldana, Anya Tayl0r-Joy, Robert De Niro, Chris Rock, Rami Malek, Alessandro Nivola, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Taylor Swift, Timothy Olyphant, Andrea Riseborough, and Matthias Schoenaerts.
From 2010-2013, Russell had a trilogy of Oscar and audience friendly titles. The Fighter, in addition to multiple Academy nods, made $93 million domestically. Silver Linings Playbook, in addition to multiple Oscar nods, took in $132 million. American Hustle, in addition to its several award nominations, earned $150 million.
Times have changed. The aforementioned Joy, which drew a more mixed reaction than Russell’s predecessors, grossed $56 million. In the seven years that have followed, the director has been embroiled in some concerning stories about his personal life.
20th Century Studios didn’t bother to screen Amsterdam for the film festival circuit a couple of weeks back. Critical reaction has skewed toward the negative with a 36% Rotten Tomatoes rating. Despite the pedigree, the red lights glowing indicate a high profile flop. This might not manage double digits.
Amsterdam opening weekend prediction: $8.4 million
For my Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile prediction, click here:
Blogger’s Update (10/05): I am revising my Crocodile estimate from $21.6 million down to $17.6 million
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile hopes to be the Citizen Kane of attic dwelling crooning semiaquatic reptile films when it debuts October 7th. Sony Pictures is also banking on it catering to a family audience that’s been underserved at multiplexes lately.
Will Speck and Josh Gordon, who made Blades of Glory and Office Christmas Party, direct with pop star Shawn Mendes providing the voice of the CG title character. Live-action actors appearing include Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, Winslow Fegley, Scoot McNairy, and Brett Gelman.
Based on the nearly 60-year-old children’s book by Bernard Waber, I’m not sure there’s really a clamoring for the cinematic rendering. However, as mentioned, you have to go back to DC League of Super-Pets two months ago since there’s been a high profile new release catering to kiddos.
That might help Lyle crawl to a $20-24 million start and that should be good for 1st place.
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile opening weekend prediction: $17.6 million
For the time being at least, I’m settling on Edward Berger’s antiwar epic All Quiet on the Western Front as Netflix’s strongest contender. It moves into my predicted BP hopefuls for the first time and that takes out Triangle of Sadness. Additionally, Berger is in the quintet for Director and it’s Park Chan-wook (Decision to Leave) that drops. The Quiet love shows up in International Feature Film where it moves to first place with Leave sliding to runner-up status.
We also have a category placement change to discuss. While nothing has been announced, it makes a lot of sense for Babylon‘s Margot Robbie to move to Supporting Actress after Michelle Williams (rather inexplicably) elevated to Best Actress for The Fabelmans. Robbie moves there (hopefully Paramount lets us know soon) so Danielle Deadwyler is back in Best Actress. Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once) is now on the outside looking in for supporting.
There’s a change in Actor as I’m finally putting Diego Calva (Babylon) in over Bill Nighy (Living). In Original Screenplay, The Fabelmans is now #1 over Everything.
The New York Film Festival starts this weekend. By the time of my next update, we will know what the real prospects are for Till with She Said soon to follow.
You can read all the movement below!
Best Picture
Predicted Nominees:
1. The Fabelmans (Previous Ranking: 1) (E)
2. Everything Everywhere All at Once (PR: 2) (E)
3. Babylon (PR: 3) (E)
4. Women Talking (PR: 4) (E)
5. The Banshees of Inisherin (PR: 5) (E)
6. Top Gun: Maverick (PR: 6) (E)
7. Tar (PR: 8) (+1)
8. The Whale (PR: 7) (-1)
9. All Quiet on the Western Front (PR: 11) (+2)
10. Decision to Leave (PR: 9) (-1)
Other Possibilities:
11. Triangle of Sadness (PR: 10) (-1)
12. The Woman King (PR: Not Ranked)
13. Elvis (PR: 15) (+2)
14. Avatar: The Way of Water (PR: Not Ranked)
15. Empire of Light (PR: 13) (-2)
Dropped Out:
She Said
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Best Director
Predicted Nominees:
1. Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans (PR: 1) (E)
2. Damien Chazelle, Babylon (PR: 2) (E)
3. Sarah Polley, Women Talking (PR: 3) (E)
4. Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once (PR: 4) (E)
5. Edward Berger, All Quiet on the Western Front (PR: 8) (+3)
Other Possibilities:
6. Todd Field, Tar (PR: 6) (E)
7. Park Chan-wook, Decision to Leave (PR: 5) (-2)
8. Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin (PR: 7) (-1)
9. Ruben Ostlund, Triangle of Sadness (PR: 9) (E)
10. James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Water (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Darren Aronofsky, The Whale
Best Actress
Predicted Nominees:
1. Cate Blanchett, Tar (PR: 1) (E)
2. Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once (PR: 2) (E)
3. Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans (PR: 3) (E)
4. Olivia Colman, Empire of Light (PR: 5) (+1)
5. Danielle Deadwyler, Till (PR: 6) (+1)
Other Possibilities:
6. Viola Davis, The Woman King (PR: 7) (+1)
7. Ana de Armas, Blonde (PR: 9) (+2)
8. Naomi Ackie, I Wanna Dance with Somebody (PR: 9) (+1)
9. Jennifer Lawrence, Causeway (PR: 8) (-1)
10. Carey Mulligan, She Said (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Margot Robbie, Babylon – moved to Supporting Actress
Best Actor
Predicted Nominees:
1. Brendan Fraser, The Whale (PR: 1) (E)
2. Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin (PR: 2) (E)
3. Austin Butler, Elvis (PR: 3) (E)
4. Diego Calva, Babylon (PR: 6) (+2)
5. Hugh Jackman, The Son (PR: 4) (-1)
Other Possibilities:
6. Bill Nighy, Living (PR: 5) (-1)
7. Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick (PR: 7) (E)
8. Song Kang-ho, Broker (PR: 8) (E)
9. Adam Driver, White Noise (PR: 9) (E)
10. Paul Mescal, Aftersun (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Jeremy Pope, The Inspection
Best Supporting Actress
Predicted Nominees:
1. Claire Foy, Women Talking (PR: 1) (E)
2. Jessie Buckley, Women Talking (PR: 2) (E)
3. Margot Robbie, Babylon (PR: Not Ranked) – moved from Best Actress
4. Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin (PR: 3) (-1)
5. Hong Chau, The Whale (PR: 4) (-1)
Other Possibilities:
6. Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once (PR: 5) (-1)
7. Thuso Mbedu, The Woman King (PR: Not Ranked)
8. Janelle Monae, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (PR: 7) (-1)
9. Zoe Kazan, She Said (PR: 9) (E)
10. Sadie Sink, The Whale (PR: 10) (E)
Dropped Out:
Vanessa Kirby, The Son
Jean Smart, Babylon
Best Supporting Actor
Predicted Nominees:
1. Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once (PR: 1) (E)
2. Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin (PR: 2) (E)
3. Brad Pitt, Babylon (PR: 4) (+1)
4. Paul Dano, The Fabelmans (PR: 3) (-1)
5. Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Ben Whishaw, Women Talking (PR: 6) (E)
7. Judd Hirsch, Women Talking (PR: 7) (E)
8. Jeremy Strong, Armageddon Time (PR: Not Ranked)
9. Micheal Ward, Empire of Light (PR: 8) (-1)
10. Woody Harrelson, Triangle of Sadness (PR: 9) (-1)
Dropped Out:
Anthony Hopkins, Armageddon Time
Best Original Screenplay
Predicted Nominees:
1. The Fabelmans (PR: 3) (+2)
2. Everything Everywhere All at Once (PR: 1) (-1)
3. The Banshees of Inisherin (PR: 2) (-1)
4. Triangle of Sadness (PR: 5) (+1)
5. Babylon (PR: 4) (-1)
Other Possibilities:
6. Tar (PR: 6) (E)
7. Decision to Leave (PR: 7) (E)
8. Armageddon Time (PR: Not Ranked)
9. Bros (PR: 8) (-1)
10. Broker (PR: 9) (-1)
Dropped Out:
Empire of Light
Best Adapted Screenplay
Predicted Nominees:
1. Women Talking (PR: 1) (E)
2. The Whale (PR: 2) (E)
3. She Said (PR: 3) (E)
4. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (PR: 4) (E)
5. White Noise (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. All Quiet on the Western Front (PR: 10) (+4)
7. Top Gun: Maverick (PR: 7) (E)
8. Till (PR: 9) (+1)
9. Living (PR: 6) (-3)
10. The Son (PR: 8) (-2)
Best Animated Feature
Predicted Nominees:
1. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (PR: 1) (E)
2. Turning Red (PR: 2) (E)
3. Strange World (PR: 5) (+2)
4. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (PR: 4) (E)
5. Wendell and Wild (PR: 3) (-2)
Other Possibilities:
6. My Father’s Dragon (PR: 7) (+1)
7. The Sea Beast (PR: 6) (-1)
8. The Bad Guys (PR: 8) (E)
9. Minions: The Rise of Gru (PR: 10) (+1)
10. Lightyear (PR: 9) (-1)
Best International Feature Film
Predicted Nominees:
1. All Quiet on the Western Front (PR: 2) (+1)
2. Decision to Leave (PR: 1) (-1)
3. Close (PR: 3) (E)
4. Saint Omer (PR: 4) (E)
5. Argentina, 1985 (PR: 7) (+2)
Other Possibilities:
6. Holy Spider (PR: 8) (+2)
7. Bardo (PR: 6) (-1)
8. Klondike (PR: Not Ranked)
9. EO (PR: 9) (E)
10. Alcarras (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
The Eight Mountains
Plan 75
Best Documentary Feature
Predicted Nominees:
1. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (PR: 1) (E)
2. Navalny (PR: 3) (+1)
3. Descendant (PR: 2) (-1)
4. All That Breathes (PR: Not Ranked)
5. Fire of Love (PR: 4) (-1)
Other Possibilities:
6. The Territory (PR: 6) (E)
7. Good Night Oppy (PR: 9) (+2)
8. Moonage Daydream (PR: 8) (E)
9. Last Flight Home (PR: 5) (-4)
10. Sr. (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Black Ice
Riotsville, U.S.A.
Best Cinematography
Predicted Nominees:
1. Babylon (PR: 1) (E)
2. The Fabelmans (PR: 3) (+1)
3. Empire of Light (PR: 2) (-1)
4. All Quiet on the Western Front (PR: 7) (+3)
5. Avatar: The Way of Water (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Top Gun: Maverick (PR: 4) (-2)
7. Bardo (PR: 6) (-1)
8. The Banshees of Inisherin (PR: 9) (+1)
9. Everything Everywhere All at Once (PR: 8) (-1)
10. The Batman (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Tar
Best Costume Design
Predicted Nominees:
1. Babylon (PR: 1) (E)
2. Elvis (PR: 2) (E)
3. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (PR: 3) (E)
4. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (PR: 5) (+1)
5. The Woman King (PR: 4) (-1)
Other Possibilities:
6. The Fabelmans (PR: 6) (E)
7. Everything Everywhere All at Once (PR: 8) (+1)
8. Corsage (PR: 7) (-1)
9. Living (PR: Not Ranked)
10. Amsterdam (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Three Thousand Years of Longing
Don’t Worry Darling
Best Film Editing
Predicted Nominees:
1. Everything Everywhere All at Once (PR: 1) (E)
2. Top Gun: Maverick (PR: 2) (E)
3. Babylon (PR: 3) (E)
4. The Fabelmans (PR: 4) (E)
5. Elvis (PR: 6) (+1)
Other Possibilities:
6. All Quiet on the Western Front (PR: 9) (+3)
7. Women Talking (PR: 5) (-2)
8. Tar (PR: 10) (+2)
9. Avatar: The Way of Water (PR: 7) (-2)
10. The Banshees of Inisherin (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Predicted Nominees:
1. The Whale (PR: 1) (E)
2. Elvis (PR: 3) (+1)
3. Babylon (PR: 2) (-1)
4. Everything Everywhere All at Once (PR: 6) (+2)
5. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. The Batman (PR: 4) (-2)
7. The Woman King (PR: 7) (E)
8. All Quiet on the Western Front (PR: 9) (+1)
9. Three Thousand Years of Longing (PR: 8) (-1)
10. X (PR: 10) (E)
Best Original Score
Predicted Nominees:
1. Babylon (PR: 2) (+1)
2. The Fabelmans (PR: 1) (-1)
3. Women Talking (PR: 4) (+1)
4. Empire of Light (PR: 3) (-1)
5. Tar (PR: 8) (+3)
Other Possibilities:
6. The Banshees of Inisherin (PR: 5) (-1)
7. Avatar: The Way of Water (PR: 6) (-1)
8. All Quiet on the Western Front (PR: 7) (-1)
9. The Batman (PR: 9) (E)
10. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (PR: Not Ranked)
Dropped Out:
Top Gun: Maverick
Best Original Song
Predicted Nominees:
1. “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick (PR: 1) (E)
2. “Nobody Like U” from Turning Red (PR: 2) (E)
3. “Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman (PR: 3) (E)
4. “On My Way” from Marry Me (PR: 5) (+1)
5. “Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing (PR: 4) (-1)
Other Possibilities:
6. “This Is a Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once (PR: 6) (E)
7. “Vegas” from Elvis (PR: Not Ranked)
8. “I Ain’t Worried” from Top Gun: Maverick (PR: Not Ranked)
9. “Naatu Naatu” from RRR (PR: 7) (-2)
10. “New Body Rhuma” from White Noise (PR: 8) (-2)
Dropped Out:
“Good Tonight” from The Bad Guys
“Paper Airplanes” from A Jazzman’s Blues
Best Production Design
Predicted Nominees:
1. Babylon (PR: 1) (E)
2. Elvis (PR: 2) (E)
3. Avatar: The Way of Water (PR: 4) (+1)
4. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (PR: 6) (+2)
5. The Fabelmans (PR: 3) (-2)
Other Possibilities:
6. Empire of Light (PR: 5) (-1)
7. All Quiet on the Western Front (PR: 7) (+1)
8. Amsterdam (PR: Not Ranked)
9. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (PR: 7) (-2)
10. The Batman (PR: 9) (-1)
Dropped Out:
Bardo
Best Sound
Predicted Nominees:
1. Top Gun: Maverick (PR: 1) (E)
2. Avatar: The Way of Water (PR: 2) (E)
3. Elvis (PR: 3) (E)
4. Babylon (PR: 4) (E)
5. All Quiet on the Western Front (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. The Batman (PR: 6) (E)
7. Nope (PR: 8) (+1)
8. Everything Everywhere All at Once (PR: 9) (+1)
9. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (PR: 7) (-2)
10. The Fabelmans (PR: 10) (E)
Best Visual Effects
Predicted Nominees:
1. Avatar: The Way of Water (PR: 1) (E)
2. Top Gun: Maverick (PR: 2) (E)
3. Everything Everywhere All at Once (PR: 3) (E)
4. The Batman (PR: 4) (E)
5. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (PR: 5) (E)
Other Possibilities:
6. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (PR: 10) (+4)
7. Nope (PR: 8) (+1)
8. All Quiet on the Western Front (PR: 7) (-1)
9. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (PR: 6) (-3)
10. RRR (PR: 9) (-1)
And that equates to these movies getting these numbers of nominations:
13 Nominations
Babylon
9 Nominations
The Fabelmans
8 Nominations
Everything Everywhere All at Once
6 Nominations
The Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, Women Talking
5 Nominations
All Quiet on the Western Front, Top Gun: Maverick, The Whale
4 Nominations
Avatar: The Way of Water
3 Nominations
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Empire of Light, Tar
2 Nominations
Decision to Leave, Turning Red
1 Nomination
All That Breathes, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Argentina, 1985, The Batman, Close, Descendant, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Fire of Love, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Marry Me, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, Navalny, Saint Omer, She Said, The Son, Strangle World, Tell It Like a Woman, Till, Triangle of Sadness, Wendell and Wild, Where the Crawdads Sing, White Noise, The Woman King
From 2010-13, David O. Russell made three pictures (The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle) that collectively earned an astonishing 25 Oscar nominations. This included acting wins for Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and Jennifer Lawrence. The filmmaker himself has yet to receive a gold statue and his previous effort (2015’s Joy) nabbed just 1 Academy nod for its lead Lawrence.
His latest is Amsterdam and the comedic mystery will be lucky to garner any attention during awards season. It was a curious decision when Russell’s first feature in seven years skipped the festival circuit of Venice, Telluride, and Toronto. Now we may know why.
Early reviews for the October 7th release are not encouraging. There’s only a handful of official reviews which show a 20% Rotten Tomatoes rating. Yet we also have plenty of social media reaction claiming this is a high profile disappointment. The impressive cast is led by Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington with tons of other familiar faces including Robert De Niro, Zoe Saldana, Taylor Swift, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rami Malek, Michael Shannon, and Chris Rock (to name some). I wouldn’t expect any to compete in the acting derbies. Bale and De Niro are getting some decent notices, but it shouldn’t matter (maybe Bale could show up at the Globes for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy if competition is light).
As I see it, Costume Design and/or Production Design are the only possibilities for Amsterdam to be an Academy player. It’s entirely feasible that it won’t show up at all. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
Focused on the brave legal battle against the title nation’s brutal dictatorship, Argentina, 1985 premiered at the Venice Film Festival prior to its limited release Friday. An Amazon Prime streaming release is October 21st. The historical drama comes from director Santiago Mitre with a cast including prolific Argentine star Ricardo Darin, Peter Lanzani, Alejandra Flechner, and Norman Briski.
Reviews from Italy were strong and it stands at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. The native country has unsurprisingly selected it as their submission for International Feature Film at the Oscars. In 2009, Argentina’s The Secret in Their Eyes won that race. Their last nominee was 2014’s Wild Tales.
The international race already has some potential heavy hitters like Decision to Leave, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Close. Yet 1985‘s initial reaction makes it a possibility to make the eventual quintet. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
Zach Cregger’s Barbarian is really three movies in its 100 minutes and you won’t see two of them coming. You won’t find this Blu-Ray laying around at an Airbnb for your viewing enjoyment (I realize there’s probably not many Blu-Rays laying around anyway). Your viewing enjoyment may depend on your tolerance for gross out scares and if that’s up your alley, this offers some genuine surprises.
Tess (Georgina Campbell) pulls up to a bad Detroit neighborhood to stay at the aforementioned company’s property. She has a job interview the next morning and is shocked to find someone else trying to catch some shuteye. Keith (Bill Skarsgard) is just as confused until they discover the property has been double booked.
For a little while, we’re led to think this could be a meet cute heading down rom com territory. Not so much. It’s hard to forget that Mr. Skarsgard donned creepy makeup recently as Pennywise in the It parts. The couple is instead heading down to the basement where there’s plenty of dank discoveries to uncover.
This is about where spoilers come into play and I do suggest watching Barbarian cold. We do have Justin Long in the mix as a sitcom actor going through a Me Too moment and other cast members whose house appearances shall remain a secret.
I give credit to Cregger, a sitcom actor himself and comedian, for a screenplay that veers into unexpected places. It also tackles some dark subjects while keeping the primary objective in focus. That’s to provide a frightening stay at this setting that wouldn’t merit many stars. On that note, just how were the reviews from previous guests? This creation does merit a referral for horror fans.
Horror pic Smile and Bros, the first gay rom com from a major studio, look to lead the end of September/early October box office. Both are getting solid notices with respective Rotten Tomatoes scores of 79% and 95%. You can peruse my detailed prediction posts on the newbies here:
Smile has had a shrewd marketing campaign with a creepy teaser trailer that played in front Top Gun: Maverick all summer (so a lot of moviegoers saw it). My mid to high teens projection should put it in first place.
That’s unless Bros with Billy Eichner exceeds forecasts. However, my low teens estimate would give it runner-up status. I would not be surprised if it legs out well in subsequent weekends (I suspect word-of-mouth will be strong). **Speaking of forecasts, as of this writing, it remains to be seen if Hurricane Ian could negatively impact the weekend ahead.
With a B- Cinemascore, current champ Don’t Worry Darling could be headed towards a hefty sophomore drop after its solid premiere (more on that below). A mid to high 50s fall is possible. It should hold the 3 spot though The Woman King could give it a run for its money.
King and the Avatar re-release should fill out the rest of the top five and here’s how I envision it panning out:
1. Smile
Predicted Gross: $18.7 million
2. Bros
Predicted Gross: $12.1 million
3. Don’t Worry Darling
Predicted Gross: $8 million
4. The Woman King
Predicted Gross: $7.4 million
5. Avatar
Predicted Gross: $6.6 million
Box Office Results (September 23-25)
Don’t Worry Darling, the much publicized thriller from Olivia Wilde and starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, started out strong and diminished throughout the weekend. Taking in $19.3 million, it just outdid my $18.9 million projection. It looked like $20 million plus was likely with a $3 million Thursday night start until it dwindled. With a reported $35 million budget, it’s a pleasing debut regardless.
The Woman King fell to second with $11 million, under my $13.2 million take. The acclaimed historical epic with Viola Davis has made $36 million in its first ten days.
Three months ahead of its long in development sequel, James Cameron’s Avatar was re-released and earned $10.5 million for third (surging beyond my $8.5 million projection). The fourth highest grossing domestic earner of all time is now at $771 million with that extra coin.
Barbarian continued its meager declines with a fourth place showing of $4.8 million. I was right on target with $4.9 million as the critically appreciated horror flick has made $28 million.
See How They Run was fifth in its sophomore outing and I incorrectly had it outside of the quintet. With $1.9 million, the weak two-week tally is $6 million.
Pearl was sixth as it also made $1.9 million. My guess? $1.9 million! Like Run, $6 million is its the total.
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