2013: The Year of Sandra Bullock

It was twenty years ago that Sandra Bullock began to pop up on moviegoers radar screens with supporting roles in titles as varied as Demolition Man and Wrestling Ernest Hemingway. In the summer of 1994, she broke through in a major way costarring as one unlucky bus passenger in the smash hit Speed. Bullock was able to parlay that pic’s success and branch out to successful romantic comedies (While You Were Sleeping, Two Weeks Notice), a comedy franchise (the Miss Congeniality duo), and thrillers (The Net). There were also well-received dramatic roles: A Time to Kill, 28 Days, and Crash.

There were speed bumps as well… namely Speed 2, an unfortunate 1997 sequel. Also In Love and War, a poorly received romantic drama with Chris O’Donnell and All About Steve, a dud comedy from 2009.

However, 2009 turned out to be a watershed for Bullock. That summer, she starred in the rom com The Proposal with Ryan Reynolds. It was a massive audience pleaser. That fall, she headlined The Blind Side as a suburbanite who takes in an inner-city football phenom. The result? She won an Oscar and the pic did huge business.

Since that Oscar win, Bullock kept a relatively low professional profile, only costarring in 2011’s 9/11 drama Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which failed to impress audiences and most critics.

This all changed in 2013 and her year rivals the success of 2009. First off, there was the summer smash comedy The Heat, which teamed her with Melissa McCarthy in a buddy cop comedy that earned a remarkable $158 million domestically. A sequel is reportedly being sought from the studio though Bullock has yet to commit to it.

And then there’s Gravity. Released in October, this lost in space thriller was a visual game changer from director Alfonso Cuaron. It was Bullock’s performance, though, that audiences responded to. Gravity has (so far) made $250 million in the U.S. Furthermore, Bullock is on her way to a surefire Oscar nomination and possibly another win. The contest should come down to her and Cate Blanchett’s work in Blue Jasmine.

At press time, Bullock has no projects lined up other than Minions, where she’ll do voice over work for the Despicable Me spinoff coming in 2015. You can bet, though, that Bullock will continue to mix her comedic and dramatic work to great success in the future. She seems to have a formula that works brilliant for her and has earned her the title of America’s favorite actress.

2013: The Year of Tom Hanks

In 1993, Tom Hanks literally made a dramatic shift to more serious projects with Philadelphia, which brought the AIDS epidemic front and center to a more mainstream audience. For his performance, Hanks won an Oscar and forever changed moviegoers perceptions of him from a comedic actor to a jack of all trades.

The following year, Forrest Gump turned into a smash hit and Hanks would win his second Best Actor trophy in a row (a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since Spencer Tracy in the late 1930s). The rest of the 1990s would see the performer headlining one prestige project after another that connected with critics and audiences alike. Apollo 13. Saving Private Ryan. The Green Mile. Cast Away. In addition, he starred in a pair of hit rom coms with Meg Ryan – Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail.

The last decade or so for Hanks could be described as spotty at best. After a mostly well-received turn in Sam Mendes’ Prohibition era pic Road to Perdition (where he cast against type as a hitman), there was Steven Spielberg’s The Terminal, which failed to make a major impression with audiences. The actor’s biggest financial successes were with adaptations of Dan Brown novels, 2006’s The Da Vinci Code and 2009’s Angels and Demons. Neither pictures were particularly beloved by critics. Of course, there was also the animated smash hit Toy Story 3 in 2010. And a supporting turn in Catch Me If You Can, another collabo with Spielberg that turned out well. However, there were disappointments as well. 2004’s Coen Bros remake The Ladykillers was a box office disappointment. 2007’s Charlie Wilson’s War was expected to be an Oscar player, but wasn’t. His directorial effort Larry Crowne costarring Julia Roberts didn’t resonate with audiences or critics. And last year’s Cloud Atlas was a financial dud domestically.

Two decades after Hanks achieved double Oscar glory, 2013 will be seen as a return to form. October’s Captain Phillips (the tale of the 2009 Somali hijacking incident) earned the actor his best reviews in years. The project (from director Paul Greengrass) gives Hanks his greatest chance for an Oscar nod in the last 13 years. He hasn’t been recognized by the Academy since 2000’s Cast Away. Audiences responded well to Phillips, too. It’s earned $102 million domestically at press time.

Captain Phillips would probably be enough to earn Hanks a spot in this blog series, but there’s another feature coming this month that should only add to his solid year. John Lee Hancock’s Saving Mr. Banks casts Hanks (recently named America’s most trusted person in America) as iconic studio head Walt Disney. The film focuses on the making of 1964’s Mary Poppins and stars Emma Thompson as author P.L. Travers. Attention is already focused on Hanks receiving a Best Supporting Actor nod for his turn as Disney. If that happens, the performer may well be a double nominee as this year’s ceremony. Banks also seems likely to be a commercial hit.

While the last few years have been a mixed bag commercially and critically for Mr. Trustworthy, audiences and critics (and probably Oscar voters) entrusted Hanks at a level in 2013 not seen in a while. Hanks has no projects lined up for release in 2014, though expect Toy Story 4 and The Lost Symbol (another Dan Brown adaptation) in the future.

Part three of my six-part series on performers who had a profound impact in the movies in 2013 continues tomorrow with an actress who gave a performance that was literally out of this world.

2013: The Year of Jennifer Lawrence

This evening, I begin a six-part series focusing on six performers – three actors, three actresses – who had major impacts in the world of film in 2013. As you may have noticed, the year is winding down and soon enough we’ll have a bevy of Top Ten movie lists from critics and awards nominations being released.

So which actors shined the most this year and had significant impacts either at the box office or for awards consideration (or both)? We start with what I believe is the obvious choice – Jennifer Lawrence.

The actress began the calendar year with David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook expanding nationwide (it was released in late 2012). The film captured the hearts of moviegoers to the tune of a truly impressive $132 domestic box office take. It also garnered the attention of Oscar voters – so much so that its actors (Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver) were nominated in all four acting categories at the ceremony.

However, it was only Lawrence that was victorious as she claimed the Best Actress trophy. This was only two years after her first nomination for the indie favorite Winter’s Bone in 2010. At age 22, she had received two Best Actress nominations and one win.

Lawrence’s 2012 (with that Silver Linings performance) was equally impressive. She starred in a little something called The Hunger Games as Katniss Everdeen which opened in March 2012 and grossed an astonishing $408 million. In fall of ’12, even her critically panned horror flick House at the End of the Street took in a respectable $42 million, more than six times the cost of its meager budget.

If 2012 seemed impossible for Lawrence to improve upon, she somehow has managed to do it. First – the aforementioned Oscar win. And now – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the eagerly awaited sequel that opened two weeks ago and looks on its way to becoming the year’s top domestic grosser (it should eventually surpass Iron Man 3). As if its spectacular box office performance wasn’t enough, Catching Fire has been regarded by critics and audiences as an upgrade over the original.

And now there’s American Hustle. The actress has reteamed with Silver Linings director Russell along with Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, and Jeremy Renner. The late 70s/early 80s crime drama isn’t out until December 18th, but already Lawrence’s work is being singled out as a highlight. An Oscar nomination for Supporting Actress seems a lock and it’s quite possible that she’ll win her second Academy Award in consecutive years. This is a feat not often accomplished (the last to do it was Tom Hanks in 1993/1994).

If that doesn’t constitute an amazing year in film, I dunno what does. Amazingly, Lawrence’s 2014 looks just as bright. She could collect another Oscar in the spring, she’ll return as Mystique in May’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, and headline the third installment of The Hunger Games franchise, Mockingjay – Part I, in November. She’s also filmed the Depression era drama Serena with her Silver Linings costar Bradley Cooper. It has yet to receive a release date, but expect it in 2014 as well.

My series on performers who had an excellent 2013 will continue tomorrow with one of America’s most trusted actors who returned to form this year as a Captain and a world famous studio head.

What’s The Greatest Christmas Movie Of All Time?

‘Tis the season blog followers! That time where we catch a lot of the Xmas classics on the tube. We all have our favorites and, in my cases, more than one. So this begs the question: what’s your favorite Christmas movie of all time? Take the poll:

Box Office Predictions: December 6-8

The post Thanksgiving box office weekend is usually a fairly sluggish one and there’s only one new title joining the fray – the Christian Bale crime thriller Out of the Furnace. You can read my full prediction post on it here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2013/12/01/out-of-the-furnace-box-office-prediction/

Unless it majorly underwhelms (which is somewhat possible), Furnace is pretty much assured the #3 spot for its debut. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Disney’s Frozen appear destined to duke it out for the #1 slot.

Catching Fire is entering its third weekend and post Thanksgiving blockbusters typically drop below 50% in December’s first weekend. For instance, 2011 and 2012’s Twilight entries dipped 60% in their third frames over the same weekend. Catching Fire may not drop quite that far, but it should be close.

On the other hand, Disney’s Frozen opened at #2 over Turkey Day weekend with the best opening for the holiday of all time. Its chances of not falling over 50% seem better and, if that happens, Frozen would catapault to first and Fire would fall to second.

Thor: The Dark World should be fourth in its fifth weekend while Vince Vaughn’s Delivery Man and The Best Man Holiday should fight it out for the five spot. And with that, my predictions for this weekend’s top five:

1. Frozen

Predicted Gross: $34.8 million (representing a drop of 48%)

2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Predicted Gross: $32 million (representing a drop of 57%)

3. Out of the Furnance

Predicted Gross: $9.6 million

4. Thor: The Dark World

Predicted Gross: $5.2 million (representing a drop of 53%)

5. Delivery Man

Predicted Gross: $3.5 million (representing a drop of 49%)

As always, I’ll have final results on the blog this Sunday!

Out of the Furnace Box Office Prediction

Christian Bale headlines an all-star cast in the crime thriller Out of the Furnace from Crazy Heart director Scott Cooper. It is the only wide release coming out during the first weekend of December where moviegoers could still be preoccupied with leftovers such as The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Disney’s Frozen.

Beside the Dark Knight himself, Furnace costars Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Zoe Saldana, Forest Whitaker, and Willem Dafoe. Early reviews have mostly been positive (it currently sits at 82% on Rotten Tomatoes). There were some insiders who mentioned this pic for possible awards consideration though that talk has mostly fallen along the wayside. The marketing campaign has been fairly robust, but one has to wonder if audiences will rush out to see it.

A similar genre pic, Killing Them Softly with Brad Pitt, opened during the same weekend last year to highly disappointing results with only $6.8 million for its debut. That film also had mostly solid notices from critics. I believe Furnace will perform a bit better though it’s a legitimate question in my mind whether it reaches double digits or not. I’ll predict it doesn’t quite get there.

Out of the Furnance opening weekend prediction: $9.6 million

Box Office Results: Thanksgiving 2013

Thanks to a remarkable hold by The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and a record setting debut by Disney’s Frozen, there was an extremely robust box office over the five-day holiday weekend.

Dipping only 52% from its monster debut, Catching Fire won the weekend earning $74.5 million over Friday to Sunday, easily outpacing my $56.8M projection. The sequel earned $110.2 million over the entire holiday frame and has taken in an astonishing $296 million in just ten days. Catching Fire is currently on pace to become 2013’s highest grossing title and should supplant the current winner Iron Man 3‘s $409 million domestic haul.

Disney’s Frozen now has the distinction of having the largest Thanksgiving opening of all time. It placed second with $66.7 million over Friday to Sunday and $93 million since its Wednesday debut (easily above my respective projections of $48.3M and $69.1M). With its A+ Cinemascore grade, expect Frozen to be a major player through the Christmas season.

Thor: The Dark World in its fourth weekend took in $11.1 million for third place, above my $9.5M estimate. In fourth, holdover The Best Man Holiday made $8.1 million in its third weekend, above my $7.1M projection.

Rounding out the top five is newcomer Homefront with Jason Statham and James Franco, debuting with middling results. The pic made $6.9 million over Friday to Sunday and $8.7 million over the five-day holiday frame. This is below my respective projections of $9.7M and $12.8M.

In sixth, Vince Vaughn’s Delivery Man dipped just 12% in weekend two with $6.9 million (above my $5.5M projection). Seventh place belonged to The Book Thief, which expanded its theater count and grossed $4.8 million over Friday to Sunday (below my $5.6M estimate) and $6.5 million over the five-day frame (just below my $7.2M estimate).

Where I really went wrong for the holiday weekend was my prediction for Black Nativity, the ensemble musical starring Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Hudson, and others. I predicted it would have a #3 showing with a healthy $19.3 million over Friday to Sunday and $26.8 million over the five day holiday weekend. Boy, was I wrong. Nativity managed just $3.8 million over Friday to Sunday and $5 million over Wedensday to Sunday. Whoops.

In ninth was Philomena with Judi Dench which also expanded its screen count to the tune of $3.7 million for Friday to Sunday (I predicted $3.9M) and $4.7 million for the five day (I said $5.1M).

Rounding out the top ten was 12 Years a Slave with $3 million (I incorrectly didn’t have it in the top ten).

Finally, Spike Lee’s Oldboy with Josh Brolin totally bombed for a 17th place showing with only $850,000 for Friday to Sunday and $1.2 million for the five day. I gave it a bit too much credit with respective predictions of $2.4M and $3.5M.

And there’s your Thanksgiving results. I’ll have my prediction up on the blog later today for next weekend’s only newbie, Out of the Furnace with Christian Bale.

***Blogger’s note: Any hardcore and even casual fan of the movies is frankly stunned by the news out of Hollywood involving the untimely death of Paul Walker. Just this year, I took it upon myself to watch all of the entries in the Fast and Furious franchise. I haven’t finished yet, but I certainly came to appreciate the talents of Mr. Walker, not just in that series of movies, but in Varsity Blues, She’s All That, Running Scared, and others. May he rest in peace.

Box Office Predictions: Thanksgiving 2013

It’s going to be a busy Turkey Day weekend at the box office as six new titles find their way into the multiplex. Disney’s Frozen, the action pic Homefront with Jason Statham and James Franco, and the musical ensemble Black Nativity open wide while The Book Thief expands to around 1000 theaters and Spike Lee’s Oldboy and the Judi Dench drama Philomena play to around 500 screens. Whew.

You can my individual prediction posts on each new picture here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2013/11/24/frozen-box-office-prediction/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2013/11/24/black-nativity-box-office-prediction/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2013/11/24/homefront-box-office-prediction/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2013/11/24/the-book-thief-box-office-prediction/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2013/11/24/oldboy-box-office-prediction/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2013/11/24/philomena-box-office-prediction/

Typically, during Thanksgiving the leftovers have very small drops because audiences like to catch up during the holidays. The one exception should be The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. In its second weekend, the pic should easily lose more than half the crowd of its debut weekend. The last two Twilight flicks opened the same pre-Thanksgiving weekend and saw second week falls in the 70% range. I don’t have Games falling quite that far.

Since there are so many newbies this weekend, I’ll change my normal Top Five predictions to Top Ten. Here they are:

1. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Predicted Gross: $56.8 million (representing a drop of 64%)

2. Frozen

Predicted Gross: $48.3 million ($69.1 million for five-day opening)

3. Black Nativity

Predicted Gross: $19.3 million ($26.8 million for five-day opening)

4. Thor: The Dark World

Predicted Gross: $9.5 million (representing a drop of 32%)

5. Homefront

Predicted Gross: $8.7 million ($12.8 million for five-day opening)

6. The Best Man Holiday

Predicted Gross: $7.1 million (representing a drop of 42%)

7. The Book Thief

Predicted Gross: $5.6 million ($7.2 million for five-day opening)

8. Delivery Man

Predicted Gross: $5.5 million (representing a drop of 30%)

9. Free Birds

Predicted Gross: $4.7 million (representing a drop of 12%)

10. Philomena

Predicted Gross: $3.9 million ($5.1 million for five-day opening)

This means I am predicting Oldboy opens outside of the top ten with a $2.4 million Friday-to-Sunday opening tally and $3.5 million from Wednesday-to-Sunday.

I’ll have final results Sunday on the blog… have Turkey Day friends!

Philomena Box Office Prediction

Last November, Dame Judi Dench was appearing as M for the last time in Skyfall, which turned out to be the biggest 007 pic of all time. A year later, Philomena may not be a massive box office juggernaut, but it is garnering solid reviews (90% on Rotten Tomatoes) and awards buzz.

The British drama, costarring Steve Coogan, expands to approximately 500 theaters after a successful limited roll out this past weekend. While the film itself is probably a long shot for a Best Picture nod, Dench’s chances of receiving her seventh Oscar nomination are high.

Philomena may present a welcome opportunity for adult audiences to catch something a little different over the Thanksgiving weekend and it should post fairly decent results in its expansion.

Philomena opening weekend prediction: $3.9 million (Friday-to-Sunday), $5.1 million (Friday-to-Wednesday)

For my prediction on Disney’s Frozen, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2013/11/24/frozen-box-office-prediction/

For Black Nativity, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2013/11/24/black-nativity-box-office-prediction/

For Homefront, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2013/11/24/homefront-box-office-prediction/

For The Book Thief, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2013/11/24/the-book-thief-box-office-prediction/

For Oldboy, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2013/11/24/oldboy-box-office-prediction/

The Book Thief Box Office Prediction

20th Century Fox had designs on positioning Brian Percival’s The Book Thief as an Oscar contender but this has been hindered by very mixed reviews. The pic currently sits at only 49% on Rotten Tomatoes.

However, Thief has been posting solid numbers in limited release at the box office and it expands to roughly 1000 theaters over the Thanksgiving weekend. The film is based on a bestselling novel from Markus Zusak and the World War II era drama stars Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, and Sophie Nelisse. This past weekend, Thief earned a commendable $605,000 on only 70 screens.

I would expect The Book Thief to earn decent though unspectacular numbers in its upcoming expansion, but I don’t envision this being much of an awards contender at all.

The Book Thief opening weekend prediction: $5.6 million (Friday-to-Sunday), $7.2 million (Wednesday-to-Sunday)