Tag: Venom

December 13-15 Box Office Predictions

Kraven the Hunter and anime The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim hope to get lucky at the box office this weekend while Moana 2 and Wicked look to maintain the 1-2 spots. You can peruse my detailed prediction posts on the newcomers here:

Kraven the Hunter Box Office Prediction
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Box Office Prediction

Kraven arrives after multiple delays amid muted buzz. It will hope for numbers closer to the Venom franchise as opposed to Madame Web, but that could be wishful thinking. My low to mid teens forecast puts in third behind the fourth frame of Wicked.

As for Rings, it could exceed expectations simply due to brand recognition. While some anime fans could turn up in addition to Tolkien aficionados, I have it flopping in fourth barely ahead of Gladiator II.

Moana 2 should manage a third weekend in 1st with a mid 40s decline.

Here’s how I see the high five playing out:

1. Moana 2

Predicted Gross: $27.5 million

2. Wicked

Predicted Gross: $21.7 million

3. Kraven the Hunter

Predicted Gross: $14.8 million

4. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

Predicted Gross: $8 million

5. Gladiator II

Predicted Gross: $7.6 million

Box Office Results (December 6-8)

The post Thanksgiving holiday weekend saw even bigger declines than I figured with the top four remaining unchanged. Disney’s Moana 2, after its record shattering debut, fell 63% to $51.2 million compared to my $55.1 million prediction. Nevertheless the Mouse Hunt smash sequel has amassed $299 million since its start.

Wicked was second with $36.4 million (down 55%) and I incorrectly had it holding steadier with $48 million. In three weeks, the Golden Globe nominated Best Musical or Comedy has taken off with an astounding $322 million in three weeks.

Gladiator II was third with $12.5 million, again not matching my loftier $14.8 million projection. Ridley Scott’s follow-up brought its three-week tally to $132 million.

Red One held the four spot at $7 million (I said $7.6 million). The holiday offering continues to inch toward nine digits with $85 million in four weeks.

Finally, epic Indian action fest Pushpa 2: The Rule was fifth with $4.8 million from Friday to Sunday. That didn’t match my $5.9 million expectation though it has made $9.3 million since being unveiled on Wednesday.

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

Kraven the Hunter Box Office Prediction

Columbia Pictures hopes audiences are craving new superhero action when Kraven the Hunter hits theaters on December 13th. This is the latest entry in the Sony Spider-Man Universe which has found success with the Venom pics and failure with Morbius and Madame Web. Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars in the title role spawned from the Marvel Comic with Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, and Russell Crowe offering support.

This has had a lengthy road to the multiplex. Hunter is on its fourth release date as it was originally slated for nearly two years ago. The first trailer came out in June 2023. In April of 2022, Morbius rolled out to a $39 million showing before cratering in weekend #2. Madame Web had a six-day rollout over President’s Day weekend and took in only $25 million for that time period.

I don’t think Kraven approaches that Morbius figure and it may fall just below Web‘s $15 million Friday to Sunday from a few months back.

Kraven the Hunter opening weekend prediction: $14.8 million

For my The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim prediction, click here:

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Box Office Prediction

November 8-10 Box Office Predictions

Critically acclaimed horror thriller Heretic and holiday family dramedy The Best Christmas Pageant Ever will both attempt to keep Venom: The Last Dance from a third weekend in first place. You can peruse my detailed prediction posts on the newbies here:

Heretic Box Office Prediction
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Box Office Prediction

Heretic finds Hugh Grant dipping into scary territory and my low double digits estimate puts it in range with the September start of Speak No Evil. That’s likely good for second place.

I’ve got Christmas in third in the high single digits though its chances of over performing exist. I also think it might experience low declines as the holidays approach and get off to a relatively slow start.

My projections on the two openers does indeed leave Venom atop the charts for a third frame assuming it drops in the mid 40s. Holdovers The Wild Robot and Smile 2 should round out the high five and here’s how I have it playing out:

1. Venom: The Last Dance

Predicted Gross: $14.3 million

2. Heretic

Predicted Gross: $11.2 million

3. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Predicted Gross: $8 million

4. The Wild Robot

Predicted Gross: $5.6 million

5. Smile 2

Predicted Gross: $4.4 million

Box Office Results (November 1-3)

November started off in multiplexes with October product holding steadier than my forecasts. Venom: The Last Dance is the prime example as it declined only 49% in weekend #2 with $25.9 million. I was much lower at $17.3 million. That’s a bit of a surprise considering predecessor Let There Be Carnage plummeted in the mid 60s. Of course, it’s worth noting that Dance opened with nearly $40 million less than Carnage.

The Wild Robot was second with $7.4 million as it managed to rise 9% and blast past my $5 million call. The animated pic has amassed $121 million after six weeks.

Smile 2 was third with $6.7 million and that’s wider than my $5.6 million take. The horror sequel is up to $52 million after three frames.

Oscar hopeful Conclave eased a mere 24% in fourth with $5 million (I said $4.2 million) for $14 million in two outings.

Finally, Robert Zemeckis’s Here, which reunites his Forrest Gump leads Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, stumbled with critics and audiences. The fifth place showing netted $4.8 million. My prediction? $4.8 million!

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

November 1-3 Box Office Predictions

Robert Zemeckis reunites with his Forrest Gump leads Tom Hanks and Robin Wright some 30 years after that Best Picture recipient with the family drama Here this weekend. My detailed prediction post on the newcomer can be accessed here:

Here Box Office Prediction

Here is likely to be the sole newbie to place in the top five. Unlike Gump, there’s no awards buzz for this. A debut in the mid single digits could mean anywhere from second to fifth.

Tom Hardy’s third and reportedly final go-round in The Last Dance had a subpar start (more on that below). With a troubling B- Cinemascore, a 60 percent plus percentage drop appears inevitable. That should mean mid or high teens for an unremarkable repeat performance in 1st place.

Holdovers Smile 2, The Wild Robot, and Conclave should fill out the rest of the high five and here’s how I have it playing out:

1. Venom: The Last Dance

Predicted Gross: $17.3 million

2. Smile 2

Predicted Gross: $5.6 million

3. The Wild Robot

Predicted Gross: $5 million

4. Here

Predicted Gross: $4.8 million

5. Conclave

Predicted Gross: $4.2 million

Box Office Results (October 25-27)

As mentioned, viewers were not grooving to Venom: The Last Dance. The comic book based sequel set in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe took in $51 million. That’s under my $62.3 million take and well below 2018’s Venom ($80 million) and 2021 follow-up Let There Be Carnage at $90 million. Crowds have clearly soured on the franchise.

The news wasn’t great for Smile 2 either. The horror sequel was second with $9.5 million and that represents a 59% plummet. Its 2022 predecessor only experienced an 18% decline in weekend #2. While I didn’t think that would occur, I had this pegged at $15.6 million during its follow-up frame.

The Wild Robot was third with $6.8 million compared to my $7.5 million call. The animated hit has taken in $111 million in five weeks.

Oscar hopeful Conclave with Ralph Fiennes was fourth with a better than anticipated $6.6 million. Edward Berger’s papal succession drama blew past my $4.8 million projection.

The Andrew Garfield/Florence Pugh romance We Live in Time added nearly 2000 screens and was fifth with $4.8 million. I incorrectly had it outside the top five as its total reached $11 million.

Finally, Terrifier 3 was sixth with $4.7 million (I said $5.4 million) for a robust $44 million in three weeks.

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

Oscar Predictions – Venom: The Last Dance

Tom Hardy and his title character alter ego are back for the third and allegedly final time when Venom: The Last Dance hits multiplexes this weekend. The only sub franchise in the Spider-Man Universe doing brisk business and producing sequels (sorry Morbius and Madame Web), Kelly Marcel directs. The supporting cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, and Stephen Graham.

Critics haven’t been overly kind to Hardy and company. Part 1 from 2018 managed only 30% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 35 on Metacritic. 2021 follow-up Venom: Let There Be Carnage fared better with 57% on RT and a 49 Metacritic. Dance is currently falling between those numbers with a 41% Tomato meter and 42 on MC.

Even though Hardy gives it his bonkers all in this series, don’t put money down on a Best Actor nomination unless you plan to lose. As I wrote three years ago with Carnage, Visual Effects is really the only awards play. Neither of Dance‘s predecessors nabbed a nod in VE and I wouldn’t expect this one to contend. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

October 25-27 Box Office Predictions

Tom Hardy is back in the threequel Venom: The Last Dance while awards hopeful Conclave also debuts Friday. You can peruse my detailed prediction posts on the weekend’s newcomers here:

Venom: The Last Dance Box Office Prediction
Conclave Box Office Prediction

Hardy’s latest go-round as the comic book symbiote will easily dominate the charts. Yet I’m not bullish that The Last Dance will top the openings of predecessors Venom from 2018 ($80 million) and 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage ($90 million). I have it in the low to mid 60s.

Conclave is expected to nab a Best Picture nomination. Edward Berger’s follow-up to All Quiet on the Western Front may have to settle for a mid single digits start that should put it in fourth or fifth place.

As for holdovers, Smile 2 may benefit from its genre in weekend #2 as horror fans seek content. The first Smile rode a wave of loud buzz to a startling 18% decline in its second frame. I’d be surprised if the sequel sees that, but mid to high 30s seems feasible. The Wild Robot and Terrifier 3 should fill out the remainder of the high five.

Here’s how I see it playing out:

1. Venom: The Last Dance

Predicted Gross: $62.3 million

2. Smile 2

Predicted Gross: $15.6 million

3. The Wild Robot

Predicted Gross: $7.5 million

4. Terrifier 3

Predicted Gross: $5.4 million

5. Conclave

Predicted Gross: $4.8 million

Box Office Results (October 18-20)

Smile 2 was barely able to open wider than part 1 at $23 million. The original hit $22.6 million two years later. I had this making slightly more at $27 million. That’s a fair result though (as mentioned above) I wouldn’t expect this to have quite the sturdy legs of what came before.

The Wild Robot held in second with $10 million, on par with my $10.7 million forecast. The animated adventure is now north of nine digits after four weeks with $101 million.

Terrifier 3 slid from first to third with $9.3 million, in line with my $9.8 million call. The $38 million total in ten days is quite a feat considering the reported teensy $2 million price tag.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was fourth with $5 million (I went with $5.8 million) for a seven-week haul of $283 million and $300 million potentially in its domestic sights.

Finally, the Andrew Garfield/Florence Pugh rom dram We Live in Time expanded to just under 1000 venues and posted $4.1 million. I was close with $4.3 million. That brought the overall tally to $4.5 million.

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

Venom: The Last Dance Box Office Prediction

Tom Hardy is back in the dual roles of Eddie Brock and his sadistic otherworldly symbiote on October 25th with Venom: The Last Dance. The third entry in the franchise that began in 2018, Dance marks the directorial debut of Kelly Marcel. She co-wrote the original and solely penned the 2021 sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The supporting cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, and Stephen Graham.

Six years back, Venom exceeded expectations with an $80 million opening weekend and $213 million total domestically. Three years later, forecasters assumed Carnage wouldn’t match up due to COVID complications. That turned out to be incorrect as the sequel amassed $90 million out of the gate. Its final stateside gross (rather remarkably) was also $213 million.

Bottom line: don’t underestimate this subsection of the Spider-Man Universe franchise. While Morbius and Madame Web struggled for eyeballs, I envision this premiering similarly to its predecessors. It may not match what came before, but low to mid 60s seems doable.

Venom: The Last Dance opening weekend prediction: $62.3 million

For my Conclave prediction, click here:

Conclave Box Office Prediction

The Bikeriders Box Office Prediction

Focus Features is hoping audiences wanna take a ride with The Bikeriders on June 21st. The 1960s set crime drama comes is written and directed by Jeff Nichols with a cast including Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, and Norman Reedus.

The pic was first seen at Telluride nearly ten months ago and delayed from its original December release date due to the actors strike. It stands to reason that the studio wanted their leads out promoting the project which scored mostly positive reviews (84% on RT).

That star power of Elvis and Venom may not be enough to give this a wide audience. I’m not convinced this will make its reported $40 million budget back with the eventual domestic gross. That might mean a low double digits start and I’m a bit skeptical it even reaches the teens.

The Bikeriders opening weekend prediction: $10.5 million

For my The Exorcism prediction, click here:

The Exorcism Box Office Prediction

Madame Web Box Office Prediction

Dakota Johnson headlines as the title character in Madame Web, Sony’s fourth feature in their Spider-Man Universe on February 14th. The studio is hoping its grosses are closer to Venom and its sequel than Morbius. S.J. Clarkson directs with a supporting cast including Sydney Sweeney (hot off Anyone but You), Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced, and Tahar Rahim.

Ms. Johnson is no stranger to the Valentine’s Day/President’s Day weekend frame considering the Fifty Shades trilogy. Web will attempt to bring in a female contingent, but also a sizable male crowd craving some comic book action.

Debuting on Wednesday, my forecast includes the Friday to Monday long weekend projection along with its two extra days. A best case scenario might be in the $35-40 million neighborhood for the six-day total. I’m skeptical it gets that high. A low to mid 20s start for the four-day and high 20s to low 30s range over the longer haul sounds likelier.

Madame Web opening weekend prediction: $21.5 million (Friday to Monday); $30.7 million (Wednesday to Monday)

For my Bob Marley: One Love prediction, click here:

Bob Marley: One Love Box Office Prediction

The Pope’s Exorcist Review

There’s a moment in the third act of The Pope’s Exorcist where we hear the internal monologue of a main character in the throws of their demonic experience. It got me thinking that might make for a compelling and fresh angle in a genre made famous 50 years ago with Regan and her backwards turning head. I have accurately described it as a moment. It’s over before we know it and reminded me a little of what Tom Hardy hears in Venom after his symbiotic takeover. With Russell Crowe having a ball in Julius Avery’s horror thriller, Exorcist has a few quirky moments that I appreciated before it reverts to the tropes we’re familiar with.

The screenplay’s peculiar nature is evident in the first scene. We are introduced to Father Gabriele Amorth (Crowe), who served as the Pope’s go-to exorcism guy for decades beginning in the 1970s. That’s in real life, folks! You can look it up on Wiki and it’s a fascinating read. I’m sure Amorth’s books are as well. He claims to have performed 100k+ of the purification rituals. The opening sequence finds Amorth in 1987 transferring the evil vibes to a pig, who is then violently transferred to breakfast.

Crowe proceeds to ham it up around the nuns and his superiors in Vatican City as he awaits the next assignment. Many of his fellow priests think he needs a demotion. The head pontiff (Franco Nero) believes otherwise and he’s soon riding his Vespa to an abandoned abbey in Spain.

That’s where American widow Julia (Alex Essoe), teenage daughter Amy (Laurel Marsden), and preteen Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) are residing after their departed patriarch willed them the property. The monastery holds centuries old secrets under its rickety structure and a nasty spirit soon overtakes Henry. A local Father (Daniel Zovatto) can’t figure out the invader so Amorth is assigned. The young boy’s demon proves canny at using his would-be exorcist’s previous sins against him.

One could claim that The Pope’s Exorcist offers nothing new to the frequently explored material. I could argue the opposite. After all, I hadn’t seen the pig angle and there’s also papal projectile vomiting. Avery, Crowe, and screenwriters Michael Petroni and Evan Spiliotopoulos are to be commended for its campy B-movie spirit. Amorth has a habit of exclaiming “CUCKOO!” at passersby during unexpected times. The cuckoo bits work often enough that I had little trouble putting up with the expected sections of traditional possession.

*** (out of four)