Box Office, Best Men, and Bootlegs
Sunday, November 17, 2013 at 3:58PM 
Between "Frozen" and "The Best Man Holiday" it's going to be a good year at the Diggs/Menzel householdI live in Harlem where bootleg copies of Tyler Perry movies are priced $2 higher than all other bootlegs. I only tell you this because I was hoping to have some choice 'overheard' tidbit about The Best Man Holiday to share with you, picked up on my street or elevator or some such since I knew it would open big. You can sometimes somehow hear future box office receipts, in the stale air of movie theaters when certain trailers play. But the only movie conversations I've heard on my street lately were about superhero movies (pick a movie, any movie) and, in my lobby, 12 Years a Slave... where three elderly women were complaining about how expensive the tickets were. "When did they raise the price?" I'd say those ladies don't get out to movies much but then I myself am often surprised at the ticket counter. I'm not sure what the algorithym is or the triggers to raise them but it's been happening so often lately I'm beginning to think the trigger is each new Matthew McConaughey movie. He's in another one? alright alright Raise it again, people!
BOX OFFICE BAKER'S DOZEN
01 THOR: THE DARK WORLD $38.4 (cum. $146.9) Review
02 THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY $30.5 *new*
03 LAST VEGAS $8.8 (cum. $46.9)
04 FREE BIRDS $8.3 (cum. $42.2)
05 JACKASS PRESENTS: BAD GRANDPA $7.6 (cum. $90.2)
06 GRAVITY $6.2 (cum. $240.5) All Posts
07 ENDER'S GAME $6.2 (cum. $53.7) Posts
08 12 YEARS A SLAVE $4.7 (cum. $24.9) Discussions
09 CAPTAIN PHILLIPS $4.5 (cum. $97.6) Podcast
10 ABOUT TIME $3.4 (cum. $11.5) Review
11 CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE... 2 $1.9 (cum. $113)
12 DALLAS BUYERS CLUB $1.7 (cum. $3.0) Posts
13 ALL IS LOST $0.9 (cum. $4.2) Review & Podcast
The Best Man Holiday came a lot closer to shearing Thor than I expect most expected. And with a budget exactly 10% of Thor's ($17 million vs. $170 million) it's got to be feeling pretty great about itself right now. In limited release, Nebraska opened at 4 theaters on the coasts. The Oscar-baiter won the highest per screen average (for context a better original per screen average than All is Lost or Dallas Buyers Club in their tiny opening weekends but not as good as 12 Years a Slave) but we'll know more about its box office prospects in the next couple of weekends. The last three Alexander Payne movies, buoyed by the chattering Oscar classes, have averaged $72 million in theaters. But can a black and white movie without a Jack Nicholson or a George Clooney at the helm do that well? Time will tell.
What did you see this weekend?
Reader Comments (29)
I saw Norma Aleandro playing Maria Callas in Master Class. Love that play!
According to IMDB, the Faye Dunaway version is in post-production. I'll believe it when I see it
I saw "Dallas Buyers Club," and loved it. McConaughey will probably be a close second to Ejiofor for the win, but I haven't seen Dern yet. Wishing Michael B Jordan would gain steam and get the slot delegated for Redford, whose performance was nothing special, imo.
Ejiofor - McConaughey - Hanks - Dern - ???
I just don't see Redford holding on.
" Thor: The Dark World"
A lot of people are "shocked!" and "surprised!" by THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY's big box office, but I suspect most of those people live inside press screenings and have never actually seen that trailer play before an actual audience. It goes over very well. Plus, you know, black people actually like going to the movies, but a lot of the professionals somehow forget that. Sigh.
I actually want to see it. It's a rare chance to see many of those actors on the big screen (or at all without watching crummy cable programs, I guess) and I actually sometimes like seeing films that are aimed solely at minority audiences because I think they're a great barometre of society.
That being said, I saw "Charlie Countryman" for work, but it was genuinely one of the worst movies I have seen this year. Can I give it an F? I think I can. Utterly dreadful.
I stayed home and found that Museum Hours is available on cable to rent...so I had a good weekend for movie watching.
Rewatched Frances Ha, which is now streaming on Netflix, and oh it made me so happy on the second viewing. Think I liked it better than the first time. Wish more people have seen it/even HEARD of it! Also, still looking forward to that interview with dear Greta ;)
I saw La Grande Belleza with the oldest crowd I've ever seen at Lincoln Plaza. I was skeptical of it at first, but really felt drawn in by its excellent cinematography, humor, and varied soundtrack. I won't be sad if it makes the FL shortlist.
"Oscar-baiter"... That sounds dirty. ;)
We saw DBC. Moving and def an actors' movie. I wish the editor had trimmed it to a better running time.
Hannah-- yay for FRANCES HA; also watched it again on Netflix. The Paris scene is particularly poignant for me because I did something stupid like that in my 20s and ended up paying for it for years!
Also thrilled to see ALL IS LOST. Packed house of a certain age, viewing almost ruined because a loud guy thought it was ok to chat since there was no dialogue. A big guy nearby, and some others finally told him to shut the hell up. Almost a showdown. Really liked the film. In one scene near the end, Redford was on the side of the raft, in shadow backlit by a setting sun, and I swear it was an ad for Yachting mag, some high-end watch company, or an investment firm--he looked THAT good despite his ordeal.
I like that this is a top 13 this week just to include the smaller Oscar contenders.
Dallas Buyers Club and Thor
Peckinpah's The Getaway- Somehow underrated among the Peckinpah oeuvre. An actual Peckinpah heroine in Ali MacGraw, Steve McQueen at his most watchable, and a happy ending(!).
The Keep- Very early Mann. Lots of high concepts that I can tell Mann probably really had a better movie within there but something seemed rushed and his hands felt tied back. Still, that Tangerine Dream score....
Pineapple Express- Yes, first time I watched this the whole way through. I think it is twisted genius. Honestly, it does gives that genre in a heightened, pot smoker comedy point of view that makes people just think it is a comedy. No, it's no different than being a reverential/referential kind of crime movie as Drive and frankly, I enjoyed it more than Drive./I don't smoke pot with the regularity of the characters in Pineapple Express
Blue is The Warmest Color- I can get the critiques from the site's podcast but to me the sex scene was not as shocking for me or felt pornographic or really exploitative. I will say it did feel realistic, as in I seriously would have not known those were prosthetics without my beforehand knowledge, and I did not find the length too troubling to sit through. I do wish there was definitely more aesthetic flourishes, and the fact it happened in that final major encounter at the cafe when it seemed for a moment it was only them there in that final act of love, made me yearn for more of that earlier. But anyway, I loved the movie as a character study and I definitely want Exarachopolous to be nominated at year's end. Seydoux was great too but I want Exarchopolous to have an awesome film career ahead of her. Also, I have to say I went to an early screening (full of older straight couples who seemed to find way more humor in the movie than I did, particularly when Adele would cry) and I only drank coffee, this movie was kind of the worst to see. All that friggin' shots and scenes of pasta had me starving. Even if I was turned on by the sex scene for about 10 seconds, I lusted for that spaghetti like a fiend.
Also re-watched Red River, The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, and The Last Picture Show.
Catching Fire, which I hadn't even realized until now, opened before everywhere else here in Brazil
CMG, Last Picture Show--that film slays me. Sigh. That rarity--a flawless movie.
I overheard a personal trainer at the gym telling her client:
'You know how I never go to the movies. Well I'm going twice in two weeks! That's more times than I've been in two years (!). We've got tickets to see THE COUNSELOR. It's got Brad Pitt in it so I'm sure it'll be good.'
I didn't know what shocked me more:
1) that she barely goes to the movies or
2) that she'd break her drought with a movie that she'll probably walk out of.
V curious to know what the other film is that she's seeing.
Suzanne - you know how we do
Steve G -- i shudder to think! and sad that Counsellor will make her swear off Brad Pitt forever
Oh, God, I finally got around to The Counselor. Oof!
P.S. What exactly did Penélope Cruz see in that part (other than a chance to snog Muchael Fassbender)? It was such a *nothing* part!
Penelope did the first Cormac McCarthy story for the screen, the notorious Weinstein-Miramax hatchet job, All The Pretty Horses. I think she likes McCarthy works and hey, his work won her husband an Oscar.
I saw The Wages of Fear and I'm still in the process of recovering.
The missus and I caught a baity doubler feature on the Y-chromosome side of the ballot..."Dallas Buyer's Club" and "Redford is All Wet" (a.k.a. "All is Lost"). Gotta think that Matthew has the better shot on the merits, unless the Academy really feels the need to give Robert something for missing their chance with either "Butch Cassidy" or "The Sting" (or half the rest of his acting filmography).
Roadside Attractions, who I know has done great work at getting people nods, would have to go full-Harvey Weinstein for people to even realize Redford is 'due' for an acting nomination for the last 40 years. Do people even know it was The Sting? He's a fine actor, not nearly as worthy of icon status as his contemporaries but he was in good movies. I cannot really have him play 'due' when he has an Oscar and who and what he beat for that Oscar is largely considered one of the bigger Oscar slights of the last 40 years.
"Passion" with Noomi Rapace and Rachel McAdams and "Imogene" with Kristin Wiig and Annette Bening, both of which are varying degrees of horrendous, though I enjoyed the latter movie more.
Considering that my Facebook news feed was all aflutter with nothing but praise for "The Best Man Holiday," I shouldn't be surprise that it did so well at the box office -- which doesn't change the fact that I still am. I am glad that black cinema, however one would want to define it, seems to be having such a banner year both in terms of revenue and pop-culture impact. I honestly can't recall a recent time in which this many films were in the public consciousness at once.
Saw Bringing Up Baby. God, that movie is adorable. I am just getting caught up on Hepburn's filmogrophy but I understand why people love her. She was almost a prototype Manic Pixie Dream Girl, teaching the uptight guy about life and love and fun, except back in the 40's the MPDG was also rich. And, ugh, Cary Grant. I love how he's a tall, big guy but carries himself so well. He could be awkward but he's so graceful.
"12 Years a Slave" deserves all the accolades that it is getting. "Don't worry, in time you'll forget your children." - That line is so horrible and haunting.
Plus, 2 scenes of wordless lovers, in "12 Years" and last night's "Walking Dead"!
The hunky would-be boyfriend and I also saw "Thor 2" after "12 Years" and, uh, well, it was mindless entertainment... I guess. Oh, and Liam, er, Chris has a gratuitous Shirtless! scene. So there was that.
Watched "Geography Club" - the film adaptation of the LGBT YA series - and I really enjoyed it. It stood well enough on its own apart from the novel, and featured some really great cinematography in addition to some strong performances. I know a lot of the film reviews for it saying that same topic has already been covered in shows like "Glee" but it was such a great experience to finally see these characters come to life!
Saw Dallas Buyers Club, which I liked but didn't love - except for Leto, who was undeniably GREAT.
But what REALLY got me excited was my haul from Barnes & Noble's 50% Criterion Collection sale: I got to watch Frances Ha again (easily one of the best of the year for me, and just as good the second time around) and A Woman Under the Influence for the first time. HOLY SHIT, GENA ROWLANDS!
PS - that Cassavettes set on Blu-Ray was a STEAL at 50% off plus a coupon for 20% off one item plus 10% off with my membership. I LIVE for this sale every year!
I saw "12 Years a Slave" and thought it was amazing. Nathaniel, do you know if Brad Pitt will be among the producer nominees if (when) the film a gets a Best Picture nomination?