Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, and Rose Byrne are back experiencing homeowner drama in a hopefully funny way with Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, out next weekend. This time, it’s the ladies turn to wreak havoc on Mr. Rogen’s famiy with Chloe Grace Moretz leading the way. Nicholas Stoller returns to direct with Dave Franco and Ike Barinholtz back in supporting roles.
Two years ago, Neighbors turned into a major summer hit with a $49 million opening and $150 million domestic gross. A sequel was quickly greenlit and here we are today with the follow-up hoping to match its predecessor’s numbers.
It could be tough to do. There is some genre competition with Russell Crowe/Ryan Gosling’s The Nice Guys opening on the same day. Additionally, many comedic sequels open under the original in general. The fact that only two years has passed could help though. Reviews have been decent as it stands at 66% on Rotten Tomatoes, just under the 73% of the first.
I’ll predict Neighbors 2 rises to just under $40M, about $10M less than what came before it and it’ll probably manage to just reach triple digits when all is said and done.
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising opening weekend prediction: $38.2 million
For my The Angry Birds Movie prediction, click here:
After her terrific breakout role in 2011’s Bridesmaids, the filmography of Melissa McCarthy has nagged at me in one significant way. While her character in Bridesmaids was hilariously rough around the edges, what stood out was her innate likability. It’s a trait that was lacking in varying degrees in all her follow up work – Identity Thief, The Heat, and Tammy.
This situation is rectified in Spy, which teams McCarthy up for the third time with director Paul Feig after Bridesmaids and The Heat (they’ll collabo again next summer in the Ghostbusters reboot). Spy finds McCarthy playing more to her strengths and it’s a welcome sight. Yet it doesn’t totally mask that this effort is a fairly generic 007 genre spoof where the laughs are hit or miss.
McCarthy is Susan Cooper, a CIA analyst whose job consists mostly of assisting debonair agent Bradley Fine (a game Jude Law) by talking in his earpiece and helping him out of international intrigue jams. She’s head over heels for her assigned agent as well, which leads to a humorous fancy dinner scene with him where she’s a bit out of her element. Circumstances soon lead to Susan becoming a field agent responsible for tracking Rayna (Rose Byrne), who’s in possession of a nuke. Our newly minted spy must also work with rough and tumble agent Ford (Jason Statham, showcasing real comedic chops) who is far worse at his profession than he believes. His anecdotes about previous missions provide some of the larger laughs, such as when he had to reattach his arm with his other arm.
Spy follows the playbook of Bond spoof to a tee – various exotic locations, big and complicated action sequences, etc… McCarthy’s character, who gets to don various disguises, gives the actress the most she’s had to work with in a bit. The pic fits the bill as a lazy afternoon couch viewing experience and not much more.
One problem is that Feig has learned one unenviable trait from former colleague Judd Apatow. His movies are about 20 minutes too long and Spy’s premise doesn’t deserve the padded two hour running time. There is filler mixed with genuinely solid set pieces. Flaws aside, it’s nice to see McCarthy shine in a manner she’s not been afforded since her Oscar nomination for her standout part four years ago. I hope her material continues to improve.
Focus Features has had a nice little horror cash cow in the Insidious franchise and the third edition hits theaters Friday. Chapter 3 is a prequel and therefore original stars of its predecessors Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are nowhere to be found (in fact Byrne is busy this weekend with Spy).
Dermot Mulroney and Stefanie Scott headline with Leigh Whannell making his directorial debut after writing chapters 1 and 2. Insidious: Chapter 2 surprised prognosticators when it landed a $40 million debut in September 2013. It would be a bit of a shocker to see this follow up post that number, but you never know. I believe this will manage a start in the mid to high 20s, settling for second to Melissa McCarthy’s Spy.
Insidious: Chapter 3 opening weekend prediction: $26 million
Ever since Bridesmaids some four years ago, Melissa McCarthy has become a potent box office force and while her comedies have yielded financially pleasing returns, critics haven’t always been on her side – see last summer’s Tammy. This Friday’s Spy is a notable exception as it boasts a terrific 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. The action comedy pairs her yet again with her Bridesmaids and The Heat director Paul Feig. The supporting cast includes Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Jude Law and Allison Janney.
McCarthy’s star power plus the critical love should lead to a very nice debut for Spy. As I see it, the question is whether or not it manages to top the $39 million earned by The Heat to create McCarthy’s largest domestic opening of all time. I am predicting it’ll just manage to get there and its solid word of mouth should continue its healthy run forward for the weeks to come.
In less than one month, the Summer 2015 Movie Season will be upon us! That means studios will be bringing out their big wannabe blockbusters with sequels, reboots, animated tales, comic book heroes, and a surprisingly robust group of potentially intriguing comedies.
Therefore, I am bringing you my personal 15 most anticipated summer movies for the year. Let me talk briefly about some pictures that didn’t quite make the cut. I left off animated fare such as Pixar’s Inside Out and Despicable Me spin-off Minions. Same goes for Pitch Perfect 2, Magic Mike XXL and the film version of HBO’s Entourage. And then there’s a film I figured would make the cut: Terminator: Genisys that marks Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to his iconic role after 12 years. Why? Quite frankly, I wasn’t crazy about the trailer. Don’t get me wrong – I’m still highly curious to watch it.
I will be breaking up my list in three installments and we begin this evening with numbers 15-11. Subsequent posts covering the top ten will arrive Friday and Saturday.
Let’s get to it, shall we?
15. Spy
Release Date: June 5
Originally, I probably wouldn’t have figured Melissa McCarthy’s new comedy would make the cut. That’s until reviews from screenings at South by Southwest came out and they indicate this is the star’s best feature so far. It doesn’t hurt that Paul Feig, director of McCarthy’s Bridesmaids and The Heat is behind the camera. Jude Law, Rose Byrne, and Jason Statham co-star.
14. Masterminds
Release Date: August 14
From the director of Napoleon Dynamite comes this heist comedy with a killer cast: Zach Galifianakis, Kristin Wiig, Owen Wilson, and Jason Sudeikis. The trailer inspires hope.
13. Vacation
Release Date: July 31
Yes, they’re rebooting the Vacation franchise with Ed Helms and Leslie Mann as grown-up Rusty and Audrey and Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo back as Clark and Ellen. Christina Applegate, Chris Hemsworth, and Charlie Day round out the cast. Here’s to hoping this is more like the original and Christmas Vacation than Vegas Vacation. No trailer has been released at press time.
12. Southpaw
Release Date: July 24
Jake Gyllenhall has been on a roll lately choosing his projects, including last year’s terrific Nightcrawler. This sports drama sees him playing a boxer with serious family issues. It also sees him heavily bulked up in a pic that could get awards attention, like 2010’s The Fighter. Antoine Fuqua directs (he made Training Day and The Equalizer) and Rachel McAdams and Forest Whitaker co-star.
11. Fantastic Four
Released Date: August 7
The first two installments of the famed Marvel comic books (the ones with Jessica Alba and Michael Chiklis) were decent size hits, however critics didn’t approve. This reboot comes from Chronicle director Josh Trank with a cast that includes Miles Teller, Kate Mara, and Michael B. Jordan and it will attempt to begin the franchise anew.
And that’s all for now! Numbers 10-6 coming at you tomorrow…
There’s a whole lot of talent involved with the Annie remake opening this Friday. Will Smith and Jay-Z are among the producers with Easy A and Friends with Benefits director Will Gluck behind the camera. Quevenzhane Wallis (who won critical acclaim for Beasts of the Southern Wild) plays the title role with Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Rose Byrne, and Bobby Cannavale rounding out the cast.
There’s a real question as to whether those big names will translate to big holiday box office though. Based loosely on the Broadway play and 1982 picture, the film trades its Depression era setting for modern day NYC. So far, reviews have been far from kind. There’s also the matter of serious family competition in the form of Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
Sony Pictures is hoping for a healthy debut to divert attention away from its considerable hacking scandal. It could be wishful thinking. I believe Annie won’t even reach $20 million out of the gate for a lackluster start.
Annie opening weekend prediction: $17.6 million
For my prediction on The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, click here:
It’s got all-star cast and a director who’s had his share of successful comedies, but I have my doubts as to whether This Is Where I Leave You will have much of an impact with audiences. Shawn Levy, the man behind the Pink Panther reboot, the Night at the Museum franchise and Date Night, is behind the camera. The family comedy’s cast includes Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Dax Shepard, Connie Britton, Kathryn Hahn, Timothy Olyphant, and Abigail Spencer.
Yet my take is that the TV spots and trailers haven’t made this look like a must-see and reviews are mixed. This is the exact type of flick that audiences might wait to watch at home in a few months. The high-profile cast could theoretically push it to a bigger opening that I’m imagining, but my gut says it won’t even reach the mid teens and be a box office disappointment like Levy’s last outing, The Internship.
This Is Where I Leave You opening weekend prediction: $12.3 million
This Friday, the R rated frat comedy Neighbors featuring Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, and Dave Franco hits theaters and I’m predicting audiences are going to be quite friendly to it. The buzz for the pic has been overwhelmingly positive as it currently stands at a terrific 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. It also helps tremendously that the trailers and TV sports are pretty hilarious (I laugh every time I see the air bag gag).
Neighbors could set some personal records for the personnel involved here. Rogen’s biggest live-action opening is The Green Hornet, which debuted to $33.5 million in 2011. I believe this could surpass that and in fact, it may even challenge The Amazing Spider-Man2 for the #1 spot this weekend. As I see it, Neighbors has the potential to reach $40M plus, but ultimately I think a debut in the mid to high 30s is the likely scenario. If reviews are to be used to as a guide, this could also be in for a long and successful run ahead and could certainly be one of summer 2014’s highest earning comedies in a season chock full of them.
Neighbors opening weekend prediction: $37.3 million
For my Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return prediction, click here:
The point of an internship in real life is to lead to something better. Ironic because that’s what happens as I watched The Internship with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. Also ironic because the song “Ironic” by Alanis Morrisette is featured prominently in the opening scene. We keep wanting the script to give us something more than a formulaic tale of two old-timers entering the tech world complete with cliched characters and stale jokes. It doesn’t.
The selling point of The Internship is obviously the reunion of Vaughn and Wilson eight years after their 2005 smash Wedding Crashers. It’s a little surprising just how safe this follow-up plays it. The most curious decision is to make it PG-13 when their first collaboration was heralded as a welcome return to raunchy R-rated comedy.
Vaughn and Wilson play watch salesmen whose company falls victim to the fact that everyone checks the time on their cell phone (though last time I checked, lots of people still own watches). The duo decide to apply for an internship at Google and they are grouped with a gang of much younger computer nerds. The team must face off against other teams, one of which is headed by a bully (Max Minghella, who appeared in the Citizen Kane of Internet films The Social Network).
None of this is particularly fresh or interesting. Vaughn and Wilson spend most of the movie coasting on their chemistry together, but the screenplay (co-written by Vaughn) doesn’t bring the funny. We also have a tacked-on romantic subplot between Wilson and Rose Byrne that is just dull. Even cameos by John Goodman and a certain comic superstar who also had a surprise appearance in Crashers add little to the proceedings.
Towards the third act of The Internship, we start to get the feeling through Vaughn and co-writer Jared Stern’s dialogue that they may have something worthwhile to say about the current tech age. There are nibbles here and there about how the younger generation can’t communicate with people as well as older generations. A scene where the two stars convince a business to join the computer age is fairly well-written. It mostly never materializes though.
The only serious problem I had with Wedding Crashers was it could have probably been fifteen minutes shorter and that same complaint applies here with its bloated 120 minute running time. Crashers had a heckuva lot going for it though. Real chemistry between Wilson and Rachel McAdams over a boring subplot here. Outrageous R-rated comedy over conservative PG-13 jokes. A truly hilarious Will Ferrell cameo over a forgettable one.
Anything with these two stars will have a few laughs and Vaughn and Wilson give us that occasionally. There’s no question, however, that when you do a Yahoo or Bing search on Best Vaughn/Wilson comedy, this won’t be it. I could have said another search engine company that you might have heard of, but they just got two long hours of product placement in the film I just watched.
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