February 28-March 2 Box Office Predictions

In what should be a quiet box office weekend, survival thriller Last Breath with Woody Harrelson and Simu Liu hopes to find an audience while Captain America: Brave New World seeks to three-peat. You can find my detailed prediction post on Breath here:

Despite a troubling 68% sophomore plummet, Captain America should manage a third weekend atop the charts due to lack of competition. It may, however, not even reach low teens this time around.

The best case scenario for Breath would be second place, but it could place anywhere from runner-up to fifth depending on drops of holdovers.

The Monkey, with a C+ Cinemascore grade, is likely to experience a heftier decline over family fare offerings Paddington in Peru and Dog Man (though it could remain in second).

Here’s how I see the top five shaking out in a cinematic frame where audiences might be more transfixed by the Oscars:

1. Captain America: Brave New World

Predicted Gross: $11.8 million

2. The Monkey

Predicted Gross: $5.7 million

3. Last Breath

Predicted Gross: $4.8 million

4. Paddington in Peru

Predicted Gross: $3.9 million

5. Dog Man

Predicted Gross: $3.7 million

Box Office Predictions (February 21-23)

As mentioned, the MCU’s 35th feature Captain America: Brave New World cratered in its second outing with a near 70% fall. It made $28.1 million, in line with my $29.6 million call, for a $141 million ten-day overall take.

Horror comedy The Monkey performed toward the lower end of its expected range at $14 million. I was more generous at $18.2 million. Look for it to fade quickly like Companion did.

Holdovers generally went under my forecasts with Paddington in Peru third at $6.5 million compared to my $8.9 million estimate. The two-week total is an underwhelming $25 million.

Dog Man was fourth with $5.8 million, under my $7.1 million prediction for $78 million in its four weeks of release.

Ne Zha 2 rounded out the top five and I incorrectly didn’t have it listed. The Chinese animated fantsy took in $3 million to bring its two-week tally to $14 million.

Heart Eyes was sixth with a ginormous 73% dip to $2.7 million in its third weekend for $26 million in the bank.

Finally, The Unbreakable Boy with Zachary Levi was another snoozer for Lionsgate in 8th. It made $2.3 million and I projected it at $3 million.

That’s all for now, folks! Until next time…

Last Breath Box Office Prediction

Based on a true story and a 2019 documentary of the same name, Focus Features hopes audiences take in Last Breath this Friday. The survival thriller about a deep sea rescue comes from Alex Parkinson (who made the doc) with a cast including Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole, and Cliff Curtis.

Audience anticipation seems to be considerably under the surface. I don’t think this even gets to $5 million. My meager estimate should still be enough for a number 3 debut since this should be a quiet weekend at the box office.

Last Breath opening weekend prediction: $4.8 million

Oscars: The Case of Zoe Saldaña in Emilia Pérez

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten Best Picture contenders and now alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the other five races. The BP nominee posts are up and they’re readily available for your perusing pleasure. Today is our fifth and final entry in Best Supporting Actress and that’s Zoe Saldaña in Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez. If you missed my posts covering the other nominees, they’re linked at the bottom.

Previous Acting Oscar Nominations:

None

The Case for Zoe Saldaña:

After a career mostly known for appearances in the Star Trek, Avatar, and Guardians of the Galaxy franchises, Saldaña’s work as a singing defense attorney to the title character has earned across the board precursor victories. That includes the Golden Globe, SAG, Critics Choice, and BAFTA.

The Case Against Zoe Saldaña:

If the controversy regarding costar Karla Sofia Gascón’s past social media postings translate to all Pérez categories, Saldaña could be in trouble.

The Verdict:

Saldaña appears immune to the Gascón firestorm and the sweep appears assured. Anyone other than her winning on Sunday evening would constitute a major upset.

My Case Of posts will continue with the final hopeful in Supporting Actor and that’s Jeremy Strong in The Apprentice…

31st SAG Awards Reaction

The 31st SAG Awards added to the unpredictability of Oscar night in one week by crowning Conclave as the Best Ensemble recipient. This occurs seven days after it got BAFTA’s largest prize. The correlation between the Academy’s Best Picture and SAG ensemble is 6/10 in the past decade. Conclave still may not be the frontrunner next Sunday but its chances are looking better.

I predicted Wicked would take Ensemble while plenty of others went with Anora. Had the latter emerged victorious, it would’ve solidified frontrunner positioning in BP. Now Oscar night’s biggest race appears to be a three-way contest between Anora, The Brutalist, and Conclave with genuine suspense as to what will come out on top.

Ensemble was the only category I missed as I went 5/6 in my projections. I’ll gladly take that in this unpredictable season. Both lead acting derbies were coin flips where I managed to make the right call. Demi Moore (The Substance) won and she now has SAG, Critics Choice, and the Globe with Mikey Madison (Anora) claiming BAFTA. I am still deciding who will take the Oscar.

For Best Actor, Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) picked up his first major trophy over Adrien Brody (The Brutalist). I had a hunch this might happen as the SAG voters ignored Brody’s costars Felicity Jones and Guy Pearce and nominated Chalamet’s cast mates Monica Barbaro and Edward Norton. I’m not convinced the Academy will follow suit, but it’s surely more of a two-way race now.

The supporting fields appear set in stone as Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez) and Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) have now swept the season. Anyone other than them making podium trips next Sunday would be a rather shocking upset at this juncture.

Finally, The Fall Guy nabbed Best Stunt Ensemble as I figured the movie about stunt performers would.

Keep an eye on the blog as I wrap up my Case Of posts with those final predictions (!) coming Wednesday.

Oscars: The Case of Sebastian Stan in The Apprentice

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten Best Picture contenders and now alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the other five races. The BP nominee posts are up and they’re readily available for your perusing pleasure. Today is our fifth and final entry in Best Actor and that’s Sebastian Stan in Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice. If you missed my posts covering the other Actor nominees, they’re linked at the bottom.

Previous Acting Oscar Nominations:

None

The Case for Sebastian Stan:

As Donald Trump building out his real estate career, Stan embodied the future President with BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations in tow.

The Case Against Sebastian Stan:

Making the Oscar quintet was a question mark since he probably split votes with his other heralded 2024 work in A Different Man. For that role, he took home the Golden Globe in Actor (Musical or Comedy) while losing the Actor in a Drama prize and the BAFTA to Adrien Brody (The Brutalist). Stan did not make the cut at Critics Choice or SAG.

The Verdict:

Brody and Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) are out front and Stan is not considered a threat to either of them.

My Case Of posts will continue with the fifth hopeful in Supporting Actress and Zoe Saldaña in Emilia Pérez…

Oscars: The Case of Fernanda Torres in I’m Still Here

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten Best Picture contenders and now alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the other five races. The BP nominee posts are up and they’re readily available for your perusing pleasure. Today is our fifth and final entry in Best Actress and that’s Fernanda Torres in I’m Still Here from Walter Salles. If you missed my posts covering the other Actress nominees, they’re linked at the bottom.

Previous Acting Oscar Nominations:

None

The Case for Fernanda Torres:

The Brazilian performer had her stateside awards breakthrough with the acclaimed political drama. This culminated in a fairly surprising victory at the Golden Globes for Actress in a Drama, beating out stalwarts like Angelina Jolie (Maria), Nicole Kidman (Babygirl), and Kate Winslet (Lee).

The Case Against Fernanda Torres:

That Globe win is a bit misleading since she’s only nominee of the six to make the Academy’s cut. The other four Oscar contenders were all up for Actress in a Musical or Comedy. This includes BAFTA recipient Mikey Madison (Anora) and Globe/Critics Choice honoree Demi Moore (The Substance). Torres failed to achieve nominations at BAFTA, SAG, and Critics Choice.

The Verdict:

It’s not an impossibility that Torres could upset, but she is a distant third behind Madison and Moore.

My Case Of posts will continue with the fifth hopeful in Best Actor and that’s Sebastian Stan in The Apprentice…

Oscars: The Case of Coralie Fargeat for The Substance

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten Best Picture contenders and now alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the other five races. The BP nominee posts are up and they’re readily available for your perusing pleasure. Today is our fourth entry in Best Director and that’s Coralie Fargeat for The Substance. If you missed my posts covering the first three contenders, they’re linked at the bottom.

Previous Directing Oscar Nominations:

None

The Case for Coralie Fargeat:

The second French filmmaker in the contending quintet behind Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez), Fargeat became a three-time nominee for Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay with the trippy and acclaimed The Substance. Additional noms for her behind the camera work include the Golden Globes, BAFTA, and Critics Choice.

The Case Against Coralie Fargeat:

Fargeat missed DGA. Simply stated, Oscar winners for Best Director don’t miss DGA. She’s taken home none of the aforementioned precursors.

The Verdict:

That fact is that the case against is really all that needs to be said. Fargeat has a shot at winning Original Screenplay, but not here where Sean Baker (Anora) and Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) are competing for the statue.

My Case Of posts will continue with the final hopeful in Best Actress and and that’s Fernanda Torres in I’m Still Here…

Oscars: The Case of Guy Pearce in The Brutalist

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten Best Picture contenders and now alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the other five races. The BP nominee posts are up and they’re readily available for your perusing pleasure. Today is our fourth entry in Best Supporting Actor and that’s Guy Pearce in Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist. If you missed my posts covering the first three contenders, they’re linked at the bottom.

Previous Acting Oscar Nominations:

None

The Case for Guy Pearce:

After a distinguished career that includes acclaimed leading roles in L.A. Confidential and Memento and supporting appearances in Best Picture winners The Hurt Locker and The King’s Speech, a Guy Pearce performance finally enters the award convo. As a cold-hearted industrialist in Corbet’s acclaimed epic, he’s been nominated at the Globes, Critics Choice, and BAFTA.

The Cast Against Guy Pearce:

Pearce lost to all three of the aforementioned prizes to Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain. He was surprisingly snubbed at SAG and lead Adrien Brody is The Brutalist performer most likely to win gold.

The Verdict:

Culkin appears way out front and that SAG omission looms large.

My Case Of posts will continue with our fourth hopeful in Director and that’s Coralie Fargeat from The Substance…

Oscars: The Case of Isabella Rossellini in Conclave

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten Best Picture contenders and now alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the other five races. The BP nominee posts are up and they’re readily available for your perusing pleasure. Today is our fourth entry in Best Supporting Actress and that’s Isabella Rossellini in Edward Berger’s Conclave. If you missed my posts covering the first three competitors, they’re linked at the bottom.

Previous Acting Oscar Nominations:

None

The Case for Isabella Rossellini:

The Italian ingénue who had her cinematic breakthrough in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet finally gets award attention nearly 50 years after her acting debut. As Sister Agnes, Rossellini scored nods at the Globes, Critics Choice, and BAFTA. Being cinematic royalty (the daughter of director Roberto Rossellini and acting legend Ingrid Bergman) doesn’t hurt.

The Case Against Isabella Rossellini:

Zoe Saldaña’s work in Emilia Pérez is sweeping the season so far. Rossellini’s final chance for a victory has lapsed since she’s not nominated at the SAG Awards. Her 8 minutes of screen time might be considered too minimal for the gold.

The Verdict:

This first nomination will not result in a trip to the stage.

My Case Of posts will continue with the fourth hopeful in Supporting Actor and that’s Guy Pearce in The Brutalist

Oscars: The Case of Ralph Fiennes in Conclave

As we do every year on this here blog, Oscar nominations lead to my Case Of series. What are they? Glad you asked. These are 35 posts covering the nominees for Picture, Director, and the four acting contests. For each one, I give you the case for the movie/director/actor winning and the case against it with a verdict tidying it up. It’s like a trial, but no one goes to prison.

It began with the ten Best Picture contenders and now alternates alphabetically between the hopefuls in the other five races. The BP nominee posts are up and they’re readily available for your perusing pleasure. Today is our fourth entry in Best Actor and that’s Ralph Fiennes in Edward Berger’s Conclave. If you missed my posts covering the first three thespians, they’re linked at the bottom.

Previous Acting Oscar Nominations:

Best Supporting Actor (1993, Schindler’s List) – lost to Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive)

Best Actor (1996, The English Patient) – lost to Geoffrey Rush (Shine)

The Case for Ralph Fiennes:

For his third nomination and first in nearly 30 years, his work as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence in the papal thriller earned Fiennes lead actor nods at the Globes, BAFTA, SAG, and Critics Choice. The Academy could consider this a lifetime achievement prize after three decades of well-received performances in pics both large and small.

The Case Against Ralph Fiennes:

Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) has swept the season thus far with Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) generally seen as the runner-up. Conclave took Best Film at BAFTA and if Fiennes couldn’t emerge there, it’s tough to see him winning anywhere.

The Verdict:

I wouldn’t look for Fiennes to be the selection and the third time won’t be the charm.

My Case Of posts will continue with our fourth hopeful in Supporting Actress and that’s Conclave costar Isabella Rossellini…