Tag: David Robert Mitchell

August 21-23 Box Office Predictions

For the first time in several weeks, we could have a competition for the #1 spot with Insidious: Out of the Further potentially challenging Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s fourth frame at the box office. We also have Mutiny with Jason Statham hoping to land in the top five. You can peruse my detailed prediction posts on the newcomers here:

Insidious: Out of the Further Box Office Prediction
Mutiny Box Office Prediction

The sixth entry in a 13-year-old steady horror franchise, Further could scare up the mid 30s or higher in a best case scenario. If so, Spidey could be prevented from a fourth weekend atop the charts. Yet my near $30 million projection should put it in the runner-spot assuming Tom Holland’s hero sees a decline in the mid 40s to 50% range.

Mutiny could make $10 million or so if it hits the top end of its range, but my estimate would put it in sixth. I didn’t do individual posts predicting the opening grosses for Spa Weekend (a comedy with Leslie Mann and Isla Fisher) or the nationwide expansion of Anthony Bourdain early years biopic Tony. I don’t figure either will place higher than 6th. I’ll say $6 million for Tony and just $2.3 million for Spa.

The Odyssey should drop to 3rd after three weeks in 2nd in the high teens with PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie and dino movie The End of Oak Street in 4th and 5th. As for the latter, it may suffer a significant decline considering the meh B Cinemascore grade.

Here’s how I have the top 6 shaking out:

1. Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Predicted Gross: $38 million

2. Insidious: Out of the Further

Predicted Gross: $29.7 million

3. The Odyssey

Predicted Gross: $17.1 million

4. PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie

Predicted Gross: $9.6 million

5. The End of Oak Street

Predicted Gross: $8.2 million

6. Mutiny

Predicted Gross: $7.5 million

Box Office Results (August 14-16)

Spider-Man: Brand New Day achieved the second best third outing at domestic multiplexes ever with $70.7 million, swinging beyond my $60.2 million call. That’s well behind the $90 million third weekend for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and just in front of Avatar‘s $68 million. The MCU’s return to dominance stands at $786 million stateside thus far.

The Odyssey, despite serious competition, held in second with $23.6 million and ahead of my $21 million prediction. The epic tale grew to $505 million after five weeks.

David Robert Mitchell’s The End of Oak Street with Anne Hathaway and lots of CG prehistoric creatures had a softish landing in third with $21 million, easily under my $31.1 million take. As mentioned, so-so word-of-mouth might cause faster extinction in theaters.

PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie was fourth with $20.2 million, a tad below predecessor The Mighty Movie though ahead of my $18.7 million projection.

Katseye: Wild Hearts was fifth with $3.9 million. It admittedly was not on my radar and I didn’t do a prediction post for the documentary about the L.A. based pop group.

Finally, The Brink of War from Angel Studios faltered in seventh with $2.6 million (I said $4.5 million). Older audiences didn’t turn up for the drama about Reagan and Gorbachev’s 1986 summit in Iceland.

And that does it for now, folks! Until next time…

Oscar Predictions: The End of Oak Street

Dinosaurs inhabit 1980s suburbia in David Robert Mitchell’s The End of Oak Street, out this Friday. The sci-fi adventure from the maker of critically acclaimed horror flick It Follows is the rare tale of prehistoric creatures terrorizing humans that doesn’t have the word Jurassic in front of it. Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor star with Maisy Stella and Christian Convery in support.

Several critics are saying this is solid summer escapism and better than the six Jurassic sequels that followed the 1993 original. The Rotten Tomatoes score is 83% with 66 on Metacritic. At the 98th Academy Awards, Jurassic World Rebirth was the first feature in that franchise since 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park to land a Visual Effects nomination. If Rebirth could get there with its CG dinos, so could Oak Street. I don’t think that’s anywhere near automatic as competition will be considerable with Project Hail Mary, The Odyssey, and Dune: Part Three perhaps already with reserved slots. I suspect this will at least make the shortlist of possibilities. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

August 14-16 Box Office Predictions

While Spider-Man: Brand New Day should face no trouble spinning a third weekend atop the charts, two dinosaur centered features will attempt to make their mark at multiplexes. We have 1980s set The End of Oak Street with Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor and animated three-quel PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie debuting. They premiere alongside The Brink of War from Angel Studios (recounting the Reagan/Gorbachev 1986 Icelandic summit) and you can peruse my detailed prediction posts on the newcomers here:

The End of Oak Street Box Office Prediction
PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie Box Office Prediction
The Brink of War Box Office Prediction

Buzz appears to picking up for Oak Street, the sci-fi adventure from acclaimed filmmaker David Robert Mitchell. While I wouldn’t discount an opening approaching $40 million in a best case scenario, the floor could be in the low 20s. My low 30s projection gives it a second place showing.

The third pic based on the Canadian kids TV series, I foresee PAW Patrol coming in a bit behind 2023 predecessor PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie. It could be in third place, but I’ve got it in fourth slightly behind the fifth outing for The Odyssey.

The Brink of War should land the five spot. The political drama may get beyond my mid single digits estimate, but I’ll play it safe.

As mentioned, Spidey is poised to make it three in a row. A percentage decline in the high 50s would mean a gross just north of $60 million and here’s how I have it all shaking out:

1. Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Predicted Gross: $60.2 million

2. The End of Oak Street

Predicted Gross $31.1 million

3. The Odyssey

Predicted Gross: $21 million

4. PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie

Predicted Gross: $18.7 million

5. The Brink of War

Predicted Gross: $4.5 million

Box Office Results (August 7-9)

Two new comedies struggled while Peter Parker and Odysseus continued to rule. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, after scoring the greatest domestic opening haul in box office history, had the third strongest sophomore weekend ever behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($149 million) and Avengers: Endgame ($147 million). The MCU saga took in $144.2 million. While that’s below my generous $153 million take, the ten-day total is a whopping $654 million.

The Odyssey held runner-up status once again with $31.7 million, on target with my $31.6 million call. The future awards player sits at $461 million after four weeks.

Rom com One Night Only starring Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner was third at the low end of expectations with $5.5 million. I thought it would nab $7.8 million.

Toy Story 5 was fourth with $4.2 million (I said $4.9 million) as the Pixar sequel brought its eight-week earnings to $470 million.

Finally, Super Troopers 3 fell way behind its 2018 predecessor in fifth. While part 2 made off with $15 million out of the gate, part 3 was good for only $4 million. I went with $7.6 million.

And that does it for now, folks! Until next time…

The End of Oak Street Box Office Prediction

Warner Bros looks for audiences to travel to The End of Oak Street beginning August 14th. The sci-fi thriller stars Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, Christian Convery, and some prehistoric creatures menacing a 1980s suburban neighborhood. David Robert Mitchell, best known for 2014’s acclaimed horror pic It Follows, directs.

Originally slated for May of last year and then spring 2026, the studio is banking on moviegoers making it a late summer blockbuster. Hathaway is suddenly everywhere this year. This is her fourth release since April with another flick coming this fall. Perhaps her exposure from seasonal hits The Devil Wears Prada 2 and The Odyssey will help.

Buzz seems somewhat muted but awareness appears to be picking up. In a best case scenario, the tale of menacing dinos might score $40 million. The floor could be $20 million. I’ll say it gets toward the middle of that range in the low 30s.

The End of Oak Street opening weekend prediction: $31.1 million

For my PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie prediction, click here:

PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie Box Office Prediction

For my The Brink of War prediction, click here:

The Brink of War Box Office Prediction

It Follows Movie Review

David Robert Mitchell’s low budget horror tale It Follows is set in what appears to be a suspended period of time. In the very first scene, we hear a cell phone trying to catch the attention of a young girl in distress. What follows is a parade of landline phones, small screen TVs, actual magazines of pornography and, most horrifically, jean jackets. I suspect this is due to my feeling that its writer/director wishes he could’ve made this picture in the 1980s when John Carpenter and others were making their B movies of the genre. This is clearly where the main influence of It Follows lies and much of this minimalist homage works quite well.

The stars of the pic are not the actors who populate it, but mainly its cinematographer Mike Gioulakis and musical composer Disasterpeace. The movie is filled with remarkable camerawork and shots that will stay with you while its 80s inspired score is a gem.

As for the movie itself, It Follows cleverly reverses a well known cliche in the genre. From the advent of the slasher flick, it’s been the act of sex that often gets our teen characters in the most trouble. While that also holds true here, it’s the same physical act that apparently rids you of the film’s curse.

So just what is “It”? That’s what our main heroine and high schooler Jay (Maika Monroe) must learn after she hooks up with a college dude who then proceeds to inform her that their carnal act will not just involve a walk of shame. In fact, through sex, he’s passed along a curse. The cursed are then proceeded to be followed and terrorized by an entity that can take any form and that only they can see. It’s only, she’s told, through passing it her along herself that she can rid herself of it.

Jay’s predicament soon involves her friends trying to help her out and this includes an eventual love triangle with the cool jean jacket sporting neighbor and her nerdier jean jacket sporting longtime friend. At times, It Follows doesn’t even appear to follow its own rules and the origin of the entity is never explained.

Yet that’s not the point here. The origin doesn’t really need to be explained. The pic is aimed squarely at stoking the nostalgia for the low budget horror titles from the three decades past and that’s where it often succeeds. I’ll confess that I didn’t find it as scary as its reputation has suggested, but there’s certainly some white knuckle moments. The cinematography and music stuck with this viewer the most and its craftsmanship in those areas left me most impressed.

*** (out of four)