Phyllida Lloyd – All My Life… I Wanted To Be A Blogster

Phyllida Lloyd, a veteran theater director, burst onto the film scene just over a decade ago with the giant hit Mamma Mia! In 2011, she helmed Meryl Streep to an Oscar win as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. After a long hiatus in which she returned to the stage, Lloyd is back and at Sundance with the domestic violence drama Herself.

The pic has no stars to speak of with a cast led by Clare Dunn. Variety‘s review suggests it’s a breakout at the Utah festival while Hollywood Reporter is not as effusive. Some buzz suggests this could be an awards player with the right kind of campaign. This is also the type of smallish feature that could disappear from the radar screen altogether. Sundance has at least opened up the possibility that it might not be.

Clare Dunne and Molly McCann appear in *Herself* by Phyllida Lloyd, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
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Arriving just over 10 years to the day after its predecessor, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again dances into theaters next weekend, looking to be queen of the box office over other sequel competition. The 2008 original was based on a popular stage musical incorporating the music of Swedish super group ABBA and it turned into a behemoth at the multiplex. Returning cast members include Meryl Streep (in her first ever sequel), Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Stellan Skarsgard, and Dominic Cooper. Newbies include Lily James, Andy Garcia, and Cher. Ol Parker takes over directorial duties from Phyllida Lloyd.

Mamma Mia! held the distinction of being the highest grossing live-action musical of all time until 2017’s Beauty and the Beast topped it. It opened to $27.7 million and legged out quite well to a $144 million domestic total. The worldwide haul was a fantastic $615 million. Ten years is a significant gap between sequels, but the fan base seems likely to turn out and there’s little else marketing an older and female crowd. Two others sequels debuting over the weekend – The Equalizer 2 and Unfriended: Dark Web – are going for different demographics.

It seems reasonable to me that Again could debut about 20% higher than the first and it remains to be seen if it holds as well as part 1 in subsequent weekends.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again opening weekend prediction: $33.5 million