SIX TIPS, OR HOW TO PLEASE YOUR SLATE – THE FILMS OF 4/26
Posted: April 23rd, 2024, 11:22 am
Firstly, a note for any of you reading who may be interested in the Full Year Draft. We’ll be starting on Sunday, so if you haven’t said anything, please do let someone know if you’re interested in joining the most exciting game of the year.
And now, Spring ends with a slow petering out of the box-office. Long gone are the days of a surprise blockbuster pushing into late April to make way for the plethora of titans, while saving an early slice for antipathetic audiences. Last week saw the underwhelming performance of the three new opening films, in particular Abigail, whose $25m predictions didn’t quite live up to the film’s $10m reality. But the good news is that A24’s move into bigger films has almost paid off, with Civil War retaining the top spot and holding relatively well for such a divisive film. This weekend holds not many surprises, but perhaps one or two options to keep in mind.
Challengers (MGM) is a sports film starring the future’s hope, Zendaya, as well as two hairy young men. She plays an injured tennis champion who trains both her husband and her ex, who now must face off in a tournament. Directed by Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name), this is supposedly a sexy romantic drama, featuring an overly exposed tryst between the trio (talk about a US Open relationship), with the reviews being more positive than expected. The question is whether Zendaya can draw in audiences the way her Euphoria co-star Sydney Sweeney can. Guadagnino failed to do so with Timothee Chalamet in Bones and All, so this is a bit of a wild card of a film. But even if it makes $10m this weekend, it should hold well, and in Ultimate get you at least 8 T5 points, a few PTA, and a decent IMDB score to (tennis) boot. That’s probably worth it, although I would avoid for BO given the summer should get you some stronger alternatives.
Also opening wide is Unsung Hero, Lionsgate’s next attempt at a Christian hit. Here, it’s a film about a Christian rock act, with writer/director and subject of the story Joel Smallbone playing his own father in a story about their family, it seems. You gotta love a devout Christian’s faith in himself. It’s a hard one to gauge unless I want to delve into the figures and followers of these kind of films, but it doesn’t seem to be the next Jesus Revolution. In fact it only has a fraction of that film’s Youtube trailer views. So a mid single-digit opening is expected. It could come away with a few numbers in Ultimate, but unless a miracles happens, steer clear.
On the limited side we’ve got Breathe (Warner Bros), a sci-fi about a future where earth’s air is severely limited. Now, this film has a lot going for it on paper. It’s a Black-Listed script, with a cast featuring Sam Worthington, Milla Jovovich, and Jennifer Hudson. But Warner is releasing it on a limited basis (how limited, I’m not sure, but certainly more than a few dozen). And it’s a day-and-date release. All signs point to this being a bit of a misfire, so when it comes to delivering in either game, well… I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Next up is Boy Kills World (Roadside/Lionsgate), not a film about the ongoing epidemic of public mass shootings in the US, but a quirky action film featuring Bill Skarsgard as a deaf-mute man seeking revenge on the criminals who murdered his family. Famke Janssen and Michelle Dockery co-star. This opened in Toronto last year to mildly positive reviews, but is being put out in a few dozen theatres, making it pointless in all games.
The exhaustingly titled The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Past (Magnolia) should be a contender for the PTA crown. This NY-based story of a woman dealing with love, life, and BDSM, made by and starring Joanna Arnow, opened in Cannes last year and critics said it slapped. Magnolia’s release patterns so far this year have been to open in over 20 screens, and render its titles pointless for this game. As of writing, I can only see it out in 4 theatres in NY this weekend, but take that waith a grain of burning salt. So beware.
Predictions for the weekend
1. mmZendaya - $9m
2. We Don’t Need No Civil War- $6m
3. Godzilla Pot Luck - $5.5m
4. Unsung Zero - $4m
5. Ministry of Un- ah who cares- $4m
PTA: Anyone’s guess, to be honest, but let’s go for Challengers, The Feeling, Civil War, Stress Positions, Unsung Hero
Next week sees the Summer Season start, with Screen checking out Ken’s latest film The Fall Guy, as well as horror flick Tarot, and limited releases Evil Does Not Exist, I Saw the TV Glow, and Wildcat
And now, Spring ends with a slow petering out of the box-office. Long gone are the days of a surprise blockbuster pushing into late April to make way for the plethora of titans, while saving an early slice for antipathetic audiences. Last week saw the underwhelming performance of the three new opening films, in particular Abigail, whose $25m predictions didn’t quite live up to the film’s $10m reality. But the good news is that A24’s move into bigger films has almost paid off, with Civil War retaining the top spot and holding relatively well for such a divisive film. This weekend holds not many surprises, but perhaps one or two options to keep in mind.
Challengers (MGM) is a sports film starring the future’s hope, Zendaya, as well as two hairy young men. She plays an injured tennis champion who trains both her husband and her ex, who now must face off in a tournament. Directed by Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name), this is supposedly a sexy romantic drama, featuring an overly exposed tryst between the trio (talk about a US Open relationship), with the reviews being more positive than expected. The question is whether Zendaya can draw in audiences the way her Euphoria co-star Sydney Sweeney can. Guadagnino failed to do so with Timothee Chalamet in Bones and All, so this is a bit of a wild card of a film. But even if it makes $10m this weekend, it should hold well, and in Ultimate get you at least 8 T5 points, a few PTA, and a decent IMDB score to (tennis) boot. That’s probably worth it, although I would avoid for BO given the summer should get you some stronger alternatives.
Also opening wide is Unsung Hero, Lionsgate’s next attempt at a Christian hit. Here, it’s a film about a Christian rock act, with writer/director and subject of the story Joel Smallbone playing his own father in a story about their family, it seems. You gotta love a devout Christian’s faith in himself. It’s a hard one to gauge unless I want to delve into the figures and followers of these kind of films, but it doesn’t seem to be the next Jesus Revolution. In fact it only has a fraction of that film’s Youtube trailer views. So a mid single-digit opening is expected. It could come away with a few numbers in Ultimate, but unless a miracles happens, steer clear.
On the limited side we’ve got Breathe (Warner Bros), a sci-fi about a future where earth’s air is severely limited. Now, this film has a lot going for it on paper. It’s a Black-Listed script, with a cast featuring Sam Worthington, Milla Jovovich, and Jennifer Hudson. But Warner is releasing it on a limited basis (how limited, I’m not sure, but certainly more than a few dozen). And it’s a day-and-date release. All signs point to this being a bit of a misfire, so when it comes to delivering in either game, well… I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Next up is Boy Kills World (Roadside/Lionsgate), not a film about the ongoing epidemic of public mass shootings in the US, but a quirky action film featuring Bill Skarsgard as a deaf-mute man seeking revenge on the criminals who murdered his family. Famke Janssen and Michelle Dockery co-star. This opened in Toronto last year to mildly positive reviews, but is being put out in a few dozen theatres, making it pointless in all games.
The exhaustingly titled The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Past (Magnolia) should be a contender for the PTA crown. This NY-based story of a woman dealing with love, life, and BDSM, made by and starring Joanna Arnow, opened in Cannes last year and critics said it slapped. Magnolia’s release patterns so far this year have been to open in over 20 screens, and render its titles pointless for this game. As of writing, I can only see it out in 4 theatres in NY this weekend, but take that waith a grain of burning salt. So beware.
Predictions for the weekend
1. mmZendaya - $9m
2. We Don’t Need No Civil War- $6m
3. Godzilla Pot Luck - $5.5m
4. Unsung Zero - $4m
5. Ministry of Un- ah who cares- $4m
PTA: Anyone’s guess, to be honest, but let’s go for Challengers, The Feeling, Civil War, Stress Positions, Unsung Hero
Next week sees the Summer Season start, with Screen checking out Ken’s latest film The Fall Guy, as well as horror flick Tarot, and limited releases Evil Does Not Exist, I Saw the TV Glow, and Wildcat