Blogger’s Update (08/23): I’m downgrading my prediction from $24.3M to $19.3M
Sony hopes viewers are game for Gran Turismo when it opens August 25th. Neill Blomkamp, best known for 2009’s Best Picture nominee District 9, directs the racing sports drama based on the Playstation property. Archie Madekwe stars as a real life Turismo player who became an actual driver. The supporting cast includes David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Darren Barnet, Djimon Hounsou, Geri Haliwell Horner, and Thomas Kretschmann.
While it’s generating mixed reviews (59% on Rotten Tomatoes), the audience score is an impressive 98% based on limited previews over the preceding two weekends. It was originally slated for August 11th before the studio pushed it back. The decent buzz should manage to get this past $20 million, but I’m not sure it gets much beyond that. That number should allow it to close out August as the strongest finisher on the charts.
Gran Turismo opening weekend prediction: $19.3 million
Gran Turismo was originally supposed to release wide today, but was pushed to August 25th for the grand rollout. There’s a limited release this weekend for the PlayStation game generated pic. It’s based on a true story (hence the longer title Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story) of Turismo player Jann Mardenborough (Archie Mardekwe) who became a professional driver. Neill Blomkamp, whose acclaimed 2009 sci-fi effort District 9 earned a Best Picture nod, directs. The supporting cast includes David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Darren Barnet, Djimon Hounsou, Gerri Halliwell Horner, and Thomas Kretschmann.
Some reviews are calling this is a crowd pleaser while others are considerably less impressed. This is evidenced by the current 54% Rotten Tomatoes score. Blomkamp might have seen his 14-year-old debut in the BP mix, but it’s been a series of disappointments (Elysium, Chappie, Demonic) since.
That said, there is plenty of praise for Turismo‘s sound team. A nod in that race isn’t out of the question. Yet there’s already a spot reserved for Oppenheimer and Dune: Part Two (as long as it’s out in 2023). This may not simply be on the Academy’s radar at all come early next year. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
With James Mangold taking over directorial duties from Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford now an octogenarian, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny risks ending the 42-year-old franchise as almost an afterthought. Luckily it manages to capture the Indy spirit in fits and starts. This is not the travesty that some in the social media spiral of spin will claim it is. For that matter, neither was 2008’s derided predecessor Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. That film, however, was a bit of a mess. Destiny is stronger though it does not match the quality of the deservedly storied trilogy from 1981-89.
To borrow a phrase from Brad Pitt in Inglourious Basterds, Indy’s gonna be doin’ one thing and one thing only… killin’ Nazis. At least that’s where we begin in a 1944 set prologue. Dr. Jones (de-aged by pretty effective visual effects) and colleague Basil Shaw (Toby Jones) are battling Hitler’s troops as they seek the Lance of Longinus (the weapon used to pierce Christ during the crucifixion). This turns out to be a fool’s errand. However, the archaeologists do come upon half of a dial invented by Archimedes that’s rumored to allow for time travel. Nazi physicist Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) needs it to reverse his team losing the war. Yet the more youthful Indy manages to wrestle it away.
Flashing forward to 1969, the Professor is retiring from his teaching job. It seems the aging iconic action hero hung up the whip some time ago. His marriage to Marion (Karen Allen) is on the ropes and Jones seems destined for an uninspired last few years in a cramped NYC apartment. Enter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), his goddaughter to now deceased Basil. While Indy’s neighbors and the American people are preoccupied with the imminent moon landing, Helena wants her out of touch godfather dialed back into the dial business. She gets the reluctant retiree to don the fedora to find the other half. Her young sidekick Teddy (Ethann Isidore) is along for the ride. Voller, now living under an assumed named and working for NASA, hasn’t forgotten about it in the last quarter century as he and head henchman Klaber (Boyd Holbrook) attempt to forcefully retrieve it.
The globetrotting commences from NYC to Morocco and Greece and eventually some really unforeseen places. Just as Crystal Skull finally brought a Spielberg mainstay alien subplot to the Indy mix (to much derision, some warranted), Destiny gets the Marty/Doc Brown vibe happening. I won’t delve into the spoiler centric details, but I will say this. The ending portions may not work very well in execution, but it does continue this franchise’s tradition of giving us bonkers third acts. I’m just sayin’ you may need to do a series rewatch if you think Destiny‘s climax is too out there. This is not necessarily a bad thing.
As mentioned, there are frequent instances where this captures the mood of what we dug in the 1980s. I experienced it in a chase scene or two (one during a ticker tape parade is a highlight). I found Waller-Bridge to be a better partner in artifact retrieval than Shia LaBeouf’s Mutt from 15 years ago. Yes, the brief reappearance of Sallah from Raiders and Last Crusade (John Rhys-Davies) feels tacked on. The runtime can feel as exhausted as our title character these days. It is those old-timers that provide the most memorable parts whether it’s the John Williams score or Mr. Ford still nailing the gruff yet caring legend. Does the nostalgia feel forced at times? Sure. It’s still one small step up from when we last saw Indy.
At last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Top Gun: Maverick screened at Cannes and that premiere kicked off its soaring buzz. The eventual result was box office nearing $1.5 billion and six Oscar nominations (including Picture). Disney would love for a similar result with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the fifth adventure in a franchise that began with an iconic 80s classic.
Harrison Ford dons the fedora once again (and for the final time) 42 years after Raiders of the Lost Ark. Steven Spielberg has handed over directorial duties to James Mangold. Costars for the reported $300 million production include Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies (as series favorite Sallah), Shaunette Renée Wilson, Thomas Kretschmann, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, and Ethann Isidore.
It’s been 15 years since previous entry Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (which was also unveiled in the south of France). Let’s catch up on the Academy’s history and their love for Dr. Jones (or lack thereof). Raiders, back in 1981, nabbed 8 nominations (including Picture and Director though not Actor for Ford). The win total was four (Art Direction, Film Editing, Score, Visual Effects). Three years later, Temple of Doom managed two mentions in Score and Visual Effects (winning the latter). 1989’s Last Crusade received three nods and took the now defunct Special Effects Editing race. In 2008, Skull was derided by many critics and filmgoers. It was blanked at the Oscars.
We are obviously very early when it comes to reviews for Destiny. However, signs are troubling. The Rotten Tomatoes score (based on 7 write-ups) is 43%. Social media reaction from those in attendance overseas is also quite mixed. A safe assumption is this won’t be the next Maverick. I suppose John Williams in Score or Sound or Visual Effects (though there are gripes about this digitization) is feasible. Another likely result is this ends up contending in the same number of competitions as its predecessor. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
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