Tag: Griffin Dunne

Oscar Predictions: Caught Stealing

At the 95th Academy Awards honoring the movies and performances of 2022, Darren Aronofsky directed Brendan Fraser to a Best Actor victory for The Whale. The runner-up that year was probably Austin Butler as Elvis. Aronofosky’s Whale follow-up is NYC crime thriller Caught Stealing (out Friday) and he snagged Butler for the lead role. Costars include Regina Hall, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Griffin Dunne, Bad Bunny, and Carol Kane.

Several early reviews indicate this is a 90s throwback that properly entertains. Rotten Tomatoes is at 81% with Metacritic at 69. Unlike The Whale, this does not appear to have awards aspirations. The late August release basically indicates that. Some critics point out its comedic aspects and it will be interesting to see if Sony campaigns Butler in Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes. He won that race in the Drama competition (over Fraser) at that ceremony in early 2023. I doubt he’ll be a Globe nominee this time around, but it’s worthy of mention. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Caught Stealing Box Office Prediction

Darren Aronofsky helms the late 90s set NYC crime thriller Caught Stealing, which Sony is hoping can nab some holiday weekend dollars when it debuts August 29th. Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Griffin Dunne, Bad Bunny, and Carol Kane are among the ensemble.

Said to be more audience friendly than most of Aronofsky’s efforts, Stealing still faces the same challenges that most late summer offerings do. Multiplexes are often a desolate place over the Labor Day frame. Buzz for this seems quiet and I suspect it may come in behind fellow newcomer The Roses.

Caught Stealing opening weekend prediction: $6.3 million (Friday to Monday estimate)

For my The Roses prediction, click here:

The Roses Box Office Prediction

For my Jaws 50th Anniversary prediction, click here:

Jaws 50th Anniversary Box Office Prediction

For my The Toxic Avenger Unrated prediction, click here:

The Toxic Avenger Unrated Box Office Prediction

The French Dispatch Box Office Prediction

Wes Anderson’s latest comedy The French Dispatch is being delivered to 52 theaters on October 22nd before its wide release the following weekend. The anthology pic arrives a year after its COVID delay. It received a premiere at the Cannes Film Festival over the summer.

Like most of his unique tales, Dispatch features a massive cast (many of whom have appeared in multiple previous works from the director). That list includes Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Timothee Chalamet, Lyna Khoudri, Mathieu Amalric, Stephen Park, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Elisabeth Moss, Liev Schrieber, Willem Dafoe, Edward Norton, Fisher Stevens, Henry Winkler, Bob Balaban, Rupert Friend, Griffin Dunne, and three actors from No Time to Die (Lea Seydoux, Jeffrey Wright, and Christoph Waltz).

There is no question that Anderson has an ardent fanbase. However, there’s some drawbacks. Reviews are not quite up to the level of other features like Moonrise Kingdom or The Grand Budapest Hotel. The Rotten Tomatoes score is 79% and it is not thought to be an awards contender. That’s unlike his previous live-action film Hotel, which was nominated for nine Oscars and won four. It ended up with $59 million domestically after a long and leggy run in multiplexes. This might be fortunate to nab a couple of tech nods from the Academy.

Dispatch‘s wide release on October 29th comes with caveats in terms of my prediction. I have yet to see a theater count and that could easily alter my projection once known. However, I’m leaning towards this being one of Anderson’s lesser earning titles. This is somewhat of a placeholder estimate, but I’ll say $3-5 million seems likeliest.

The French Dispatch opening weekend prediction: $3.8 million

For my Last Night in Soho prediction, click here:

Last Night in Soho Box Office Prediction

For my Antlers prediction, click here:

Antlers Box Office Prediction

For my My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission prediction, click here:

My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission Box Office Prediction

For my A Mouthful of Air prediction, click here:

A Mouthful of Air Box Office Prediction