Steven Soderbergh’s latest is Presence and early reviews from Sundance compliment it as an unconventionally engrossing ghost story. Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, and Chris Sullivan star in the brief (85 minutes) genre exercise written by David Koepp (who scripted the director’s recent Kimi).
Mr. Soderbergh helped usher in the indie revolution in 1989 with Sex, Lies, and Videotape. Since then, he’s helmed an eclectic mix of awards contenders, blockbusters, and experimental efforts. This appears to fall in the latter grouping. It’s actually been some time since Soderbergh was majorly in the Oscar mix with the one two punch of Erin Brockovich and Traffic in 2000.
Despite a 100% RT score, Presence shouldn’t have one among Academy voters. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
The combination of Dan Brown’s novel, Tom Hanks’s star power, and Ron Howard’s direction melds together for the third time as Inferno hits theaters next weekend. The thriller arrives a decade after The Da Vinci Code and five years after Angels & Demons. Costars for this include Felicity Jones (beginning a busy fall 2016 with A Monster Calls and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story coming up), Ben Foster, Omar Sy, and Irrfan Khan.
When Da Vinci hit theaters in the summer of 2006, it provided Hanks’s largest live-action opening of all time with $77 million and an eventual $217M domestic gross. In summer 2011, follow-up Angels couldn’t achieve those numbers, but did provide Hanks with his #2 biggest opener at $46 million and a final tally of $133M.
I don’t expect Inferno to match the numbers of either of its two predecessors. Critics haven’t been impressed. It currently stands at 23% on Rotten Tomatoes. That said, these Brown adaptations have been rather review proof (Code had 25%, Angels 37%). Many sequels in 2016 have posted middling numbers and this franchise certainly displayed a downward trend from 2006 to 2011.
Still, Hanks fans and the author’s fans should turn out to some degree. While I mentioned that this won’t approach the debuts of its aforementioned series entries, it could be in the running for its star’s third highest live-action premiere. In order to do so, it’d need to top the $35 million that Sully (out less than two months ago) achieved.
That seems right around where I expect Inferno to land opening weekend. I’ll predict it does fall a bit under that, preventing a Robert Langdon hat trick for Mr. Hanks.
During this decade, Johnny Depp has seen his share of box office disappointments that include The Tourist, Dark Shadows, The Lone Ranger and Transcendence. This Friday, the comedy Mortdecai will succeed or fail solely on the star’s drawing power. Considering the recent history, it could mean a soft opening.
Depp collaborates for the second time with his Secret Window director David Koepp. The supporting cast is filled with famous faces that include Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany, Olivia Munn and Aubrey Plaza. Reviews have yet to materialize – usually not a good sign. The trailers and TV spots have been unremarkable at best.
It’s hard for me to envision a scenario where Mortdecai performs well. I believe it will struggle to reach double digits and won’t. Lionsgate is on record saying they’d like to see Mortdecai become a franchise. After next weekend’s opening, that talk should cease and my prediction would mark Depp’s lowest debut since 2011’s The Rum Diary.
Mortdecai opening weekend prediction: $7.4 million
For my prediction on The Boy Next Door, click here:
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