Author: toddmthatcher

This Day in Movie History: February 4

20 years ago Today in Movie History – February 4 – a comedic movie star was born with the release of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Jim Carrey was best known as a member of the groundbreaking sketch show “In Living Color”, but Ace brought his career into new territory. The film grossed an unexpected $12 million in its debut and $72 million domestically. That same year, Carrey would have two more massive hits – The Mask and Dumb and Dumber. Many successes would follow including Liar Liar, The Truman Show, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Bruce Almighty. This November we’ll see a Dumb and Dumber sequel twenty years after its initial release.

As for birthdays, Gabrielle Anwar is 44 today. TV viewers may know her from USA’s “Burn Notice”, but she was a part of film history as Al Pacino’s tango partner in Scent of a Woman. Other roles that followed include For Love or Money, Body Snatchers, and The Three Musketeers.

Rod Corddry is 43 today. He became well-known as a correspondent on “The Daily Show” before getting into films. His most notable role is likely 2010’s cult favorite Hot Tub Time Machine. Other appearances include Old School, Blades of Glory, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, The Heartbreak Kid, Warm Bodies, and The Way, Way Back. A sequel to Hot Tub Time Machine is scheduled for this Christmas.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between the two:

Gabrielle Anwar was in Scent of a Woman with Al Pacino

Al Pacino was in City Hall with John Cusack

John Cusack was in Hot Tub Time Machine with Rod Corddry

And that’s today – February 4 – in Movie History!

This Day in Movie History: February 3

Eight years ago Today in Movie History – February 3 – the horror remake When a Stranger Calls set the record for largest Super Bowl weekend opening with $21.6 million on its way to a $47 million domestic run. The remake of the well-known 1979 original didn’t have critics on its side (an awful 9% on Rotten Tomatoes) but audiences answered the call. The Super Bowl record would only hold for two years until the Hannah Montana concert flick would eclipse it.

As for birthdays, Nathan Lane is 58 today. He may be best known for his acclaimed Broadway work, but Lane made a successful foray into film with 1994’s The Lion King (as the voice of Timon) and as the significant other of Robin Williams in the 1996 hit The Birdcage. Other notable appearances: MouseHunt, The Producers, and Swing Vote.

Actress Isla Fisher is 38 today. The 2005 comedy Wedding Crashers made Fisher well-known and her performance was certainly a highlight. Pictures such as Definitely, Maybe and Confessions of a Shopaholic would follow. Last year Fisher appeared in supporting roles in two huge hits – The Great Gatsby and Now You See Me.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between the birthday performers:

Nathan Lane was in The Birdcage with Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman was in The Quick and the Dead with Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio was in The Great Gatsby with Isla Fisher

And that’s today – February 3 – in Movie History!

Box Office Predictions: February 7-9

The Lego Movie should be poised to take the box office by storm next weekend and end the three week reign of Ride Along at the top spot. In fact, there are two other newbies entering the marketplace on Friday as George Clooney’s The Monuments Men and Vampire Academy both debut. You can find my detailed prediction posts on each here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/02/02/the-lego-movie-box-office-prediction/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/02/02/the-monuments-men-box-office-prediction/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/02/02/vampire-academy-box-office-prediction/

My estimates reflect a belief that Lego will open with very healthy results while The Monuments Men will have a middling premiere with a rather weak opening for Vampire Academy. The new pictures should occupy the top three slots with holdovers Ride Along and Frozen in a tight race for fourth place.

And, with that, my predictions for the upcoming weekend’s top five:

1. The Lego Movie

Predicted Gross: $54.2 million

2. The Monuments Men

Predicted Gross: $16.1 million

3. Vampire Academy

Predicted Gross: $8.4 million

4. Ride Along

Predicted Gross: $6.9 million (representing a drop of 43%)

5. Frozen

Predicted Gross: $6.6 million (representing a drop of 25%)

Box Office Results (January 31-February 2)

The Super Bowl weekend brought an expected quiet frame at multiplexes. As predicted, Ride Along held #1 for its third weekend with $12 million, just above my $11.3M estimate. Disney’s Frozen, with its new sing-along version, was second with $8.9 million – below my $10.7M projection.

The Zac Efron comedy That Awkward Moment took third with an OK $8.7 million for its debut, barely above my $8M projection. The Nut Job was fourth with $7.2 million, right in line with my $7.5M estimate. Lone Survivor took fifth with $7 million (I had it outside the top five).

Where I went wrong was giving Jason Reitman’s Labor Day too much credit. The Kate Winslet/Josh Brolin drama managed only a seventh place debut with $5.1 million, well below my $8.8M projection.

As always, I’ll have early updates posted on the blog’s Facebook page Saturday with final results Monday. And on Sunday – I’ll have projections for all four openings over Valentine’s/President’s Day weekend: Robocop, About Last Night, Endless Love, and Winter’s Tale. Until next time!

Vampire Academy Box Office Prediction

On Friday, Vampire Academy attempts to bring in teen audiences with its mix of fantasy and comedy. It’s based on a bestselling 2007 novel and comes from director Mark Waters, mostly known for his successes with Lindsay Lohan in Freaky Friday and Mean Girls. The cast mostly consists of unknowns.

Vampire Academy would love to see an opening gross similar to that of Warm Bodies, which opened in early February last year to a $20 million start. The other scenario could be a debut in line with Beautiful Creatures, which also opened in February 2013 to only $7.5 million. My gut tells me the latter is more likely.

The picture just doesn’t seem to have much traction and the marketing campaign has been rather quiet. While it could eek past double digits, I think Vampire Academy falls short of that for a lackluster premiere.

Vampire Academy opening weekend prediction: $8.4 million

For my prediction on The Lego Movie, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/02/02/the-lego-movie-box-office-prediction/

For my prediction on The Monuments Men, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/02/02/the-monuments-men-box-office-prediction/

This Day in Movie History: February 2

On this Super Bowl Sunday where we all come together to watch sports at its finest – February 2, 2014 will go down as a truly tragic day in Movie History. I will depart from the normal formula of these daily posts and just offer a few brief thoughts on Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Anyone who considers themselves to be a film buff is a fan of this great actor. Over the past nearly two decades, many of my favorite pictures involved him. His work with director Paul Thomas Anderson forged one of the best director/actor partnerships in recent history. The evidence is found in Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love, and The Master.

There’s his brilliant comedic work in The Big Lebowski. He’s also a high point with his comedy skills in Along Came Polly.

There’s his turn in Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous, possibly my favorite picture of this century so far. There’s his villainous turn in Mission: Impossible III.

Twister. Patch Adams. The Talented Mr. Ripley. Red Dragon. 25th Hour. Doubt. Moneyball. The Ides of March. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

In 2005, he would win a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Truman Capote. It was an astonishing performance. Sadly, his main competitor for the award that year was Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain. Now they’re both gone.

2007 was a watershed year for Hoffman with terrific work in The Savages, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, and Charlie Wilson’s War.

As a movie lover, Hoffman’s death is devastating. There was so many more fabulous performances to be witnessed. May he rest in peace. I know I’ll take a moment or two out of this day to watch him making me laugh in Lebowski or showing me his incredible abilities in Almost Famous or Charlie Wilson’s War.

That’s today – a sad day indeed – in Movie History.

The Monuments Men Box Office Prediction

For much of 2013, George Clooney’s The Monuments Men was looked at as a potential Oscar contender and was scheduled to be released in December. Last fall it was pushed back to February and now it appears we may know why. Reviews have not been too kind and the film currently sits at only 36% on Rotten Tomatoes. Simply put, The Monuments Men was not going to be recognized by the Academy and Columbia Pictures probably realized it.

What impact will the negative critical reaction have? At one time, I might’ve thought Monuments could reach an opening gross similar to what Argo did ($19M) or even Captain Phillips ($25M). Now I’m skeptical. The World War II era picture focuses on people tasked with saving cultural artifacts before the Hitler regime destroys them. Clooney directs and stars and he’s brought in an impressive cast that includes Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville, and Bob Balaban. Where Monuments Men could score is with adult filmgoers looking for something to watch after they’ve seen the Oscar favorites.

Having said that, the unfavorable reaction so far doesn’t help. I believe this won’t reach past $20 million and that a debut in the mid to late teens is more probable.

The Monuments Men opening weekend prediction: $16.1 million

For my prediction on The Lego Movie, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/02/02/the-lego-movie-box-office-prediction/

For my prediction on Vampire Academy, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/02/02/vampire-academy-box-office-prediction/

The Lego Movie Box Office Prediction

2013 was a huge year for animated pictures and now the first weekend in February brings The Lego Movie, a high-profile offering from Warner Bros. based on that line of toys that we all grew up and played with. Lego features the voices of plenty of actors we know including Will Ferrell, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Charlie Day, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Channing Tatum, and Jonah Hill.

While The Lego Movie is unlikely to reach the heights of Despicable Me 2, Frozen, or Monsters University from last year, it’s reasonable to speculate than an opening similar to Wreck It Ralph is in the cards. That title opened to $49 million in November 2012. I believe the widespread familiarity of the pic’s subject matter and its robust marketing campaign may actually propel it a bit higher and over the $50M mark. This is the type of animated flick that parents probably won’t mind taking the kiddos to and I’m predicting stellar results.

The Lego Movie opening weekend prediction: $54.2 million

For my prediction on The Monuments Men, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/02/02/the-monuments-men-box-office-prediction/

For my prediction on Vampire Academy, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/02/02/vampire-academy-box-office-prediction/

This Day in Movie History: February 1

Six years ago Today in Movie History – February 1 – Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert movie set the all-time opening weekend record for a musical concert film with $31.1 million. It also set the record for highest debut on Super Bowl weekend. Both records still stand. In the six years following, Cyrus has remained a force in music even though her material has, um, grown up a bit.

As for birthdays, today would’ve marked the 49th birthday of Brandon Lee. The son of Bruce Lee, Brandon was just beginning to become a star and had appeared in action pics including Showdown in Little Tokyo and Rapid Fire. In March of 1993, Lee was filming The Crow when he was accidentally shot and killed on set. A year later, The Crow would debut to robust results and an eventual $50 million domestic haul.

Pauly Shore is 46 today. The former MTV personality might not have had critics on his side, but he made a successful transition into film in the early 90s with Encino Man and Son-in-Law. His pictures would begin to see diminishing returns with In the Army Now, Jury Duty, and Bio-Dome.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between Mr. Lee and Mr. Shore:

Brandon Lee was in Showdown in Little Tokyo with Dolph Lundgren

Dolph Lundgren was in The Expendables with Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone was in Demolition Man with Wesley Snipes

Wesley Snipes was in Rising Sun with Tia Carrere

Tia Carrere was in Jury Duty with Pauly Shore

And that’s today – January 29 – in Movie History!

This Day in Movie History: January 31

17 years ago Today in Movie History – January 31 – the rerelease of Star Wars twenty years after its initial run shocked box office watchers with an astonishing $35.9 million opening. Its domestic total would reach $138 million to bring its total to $460 million overall. The original trilogy would all have special editions in the spring of 1997 and would occupy the #1 slot for six out of seven weeks.

As for birthdays, Kerry Washington is 37 today. She may be best known as the lead on the hit ABC drama “Scandal” but she captured moviegoers attention in 2012 as Jamie Foxx’s love interest in Django Unchained. Other notables film appearances include another go-round with Foxx in Ray, Fantastic Four and its sequel, and The Last King of Scotland.

Justin Timberlake is 33 today. Obviously, he’s known most as the current King of Pop, but he’s has some successes with his film career. This includes playing Napster founder Sean Parker in The Social Network and comedies Bad Teacher and Friends with Benefits. Other notable pictures include Black Snake Moan, In Time, and Inside Llewyn Davis.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between Ms. Washington and Mr. Timberlake:

Kerry Washington was in Django Unchained with Jamie Foxx

Jamie Foxx was in Any Given Sunday with Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz was in Bad Teacher with Justin Timberlake

And that’s today – January 31 – in Movie History!

This Day in Movie History: January 30

Five years ago Today in Movie History – January 30 – Taken became a surprise box office smash in the U.S. with a terrific $24.7 million opening weekend on its way to a $145 million domestic gross. Building from its very effective trailer, Taken transitioned star Liam Neeson to a legitimate action hero. A sequel would follow in 2012 and a third is already in the planning stages.

As for birthdays, Gene Hackman is 84 today. He’s been nominated for five Academy Awards and won two – for Best Actor in 1971 for The French Connection and Supporting Actor in 1992 for Unforgiven. The other nominations: Bonnie & Clyde, I Never Sang for My Father, and Mississippi Burning. Mr. Hackman appeared in many notable pictures throughout his storied career before his retirement from acting in 2004. They include Downhill Racer, The Poseidon Adventure, The Conversation, Young Frankenstein, as Lex Luthor in the Superman franchise, Reds, Under Fire, Hoosiers, No Way Out, The Firm, Crimson Tide, Get Shorty, The Birdcage, Enemy of the State, and The Royal Tenenbaums.

Christian Bale is 40 today. Of course, he’s best known as the Caped Crusader/Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. He got his start as a teenager headlining Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun. His recent work with director David O. Russell resulted in a Supporting Actor Oscar win for The Fighter and a nomination for Best Actor just last week for American Hustle. And there’s his now iconic role in the 2000 cult classic American Psycho. Other noteworthy films: Shaft, The Machinist, The Prestige, 3:10 to Yuma, Terminator Salvation, Public Enemies, and Out of the Furnace.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between these two fantastic actors:

Gene Hackman was in Unforgiven with Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman was in Batman Begins with Christian Bale

And that’s today – January 30 – in Movie History!