Box Office Holiday: Mutants, Reunited Stars, and Immigrants
Tuesday, May 27, 2014 at 6:45PM Amir here, with the long weekend’s box office actuals. All was well in America (and all other markets in the world) as audiences stormed to see X-Men: Days of Future Past. The film’s haul was impressive, even though it fell short of the series’ best (The Last Stand) despite the inflation of 3D tickets, but it’s safe to say fatigue hasn’t yet kicked in with this group of superheroes. In the process, X-Men knocked Godzilla off the top spot perch. Nathaniel quite liked the film, despite its limitations. I haven’t yet seen it, and with the news that Edgar Wright has been kicked off the director’s chair of Ant Man, have vowed never to see another superhero film, but that’s a gripe for another article.
X-Men: Weekend of Godzilla Past
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
01 X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST $110.5 *new* Review
02 GODZILLA $38.4 (cum. $155.7) Review & Podcast
03 BLENDED $17.7 *new*
04 NEIGHBORS $17.1 (cum. $116.8) Review & Podcast
05 THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 $10 (cum. $187.1)
06 MILLION DOLLAR ARM $9.1 (cum. $22.7)
07 THE OTHER WOMAN $4.5 (cum. $78.6)
08 RIO 2 $3.4 (cum. $122.5)
09 CHEF $2.9 new (cum. $4.2)
10 HEAVEN IS FOR REAL $2.7 (cum. $86.5)
11 CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER $2.2 (cum. $254.1) Review
12 BELLE $2.1 (cum. $4.3) Review
The other big opening of the weekend was Blended, for which the $18m dollar sales is being branded a flop but this isn’t true when you stop to consider just how unappealing everything about this film is. The title sounds like a youtube compilation of mishaps to people who are making smoothies. The trailer sucked the life out of every single theatre I saw it in, and a lot has changed for the leading duo since they starred together in their hit 50 First Dates and The Wedding Singer, most notably the fact that they weren’t has-beens then.
Marion Cotillard in The ImmigrantOn the limited side, the Sundance critical hit Cold in July was the most significant release, but without much advertising muscle or star power, it managed a modest $4k per screen average. James Gray’s The Immigrant pulled in similar averages but on a much larger scale as it expanded to 147 theatres. If you live in the vicinity of any of those 147 screens, you Must. Go. Now! It is one of the best of the year.
Nathaniel was on a viewing/reviewing spree this weekend with X-Men, The Normal Heart, Mad Men, and some 1941 pictures (vote!) but I didn’t watch a film. Instead I had the pleasure of talking to Godfrey Cheshire for a few hours! Amazing, right? It was a hoot!
How did you spend the weekend?
Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Holidays, X-Men, box office, sequels
Reader Comments (14)
I watched Lenny this weekend, because the talk here of the '74 actress lineup reminded me I hadn't seen Perrine's performance, and damn she's good.
But more importantly, I saw Under the Skin during the week, and can't stop thinking about it. Best thing I've seen in a long, long time.
Hi Nathaniel, when are you going to post more predictions for next year's Oscars???? I can't wait to see who you're picking for actress!!!!!!!!!!
I saw "Gozdilla" and liked it but I am a big fan of classic sci-fi monster movies ( the movie could have used a bit more humor- and Aaron Taylor- Johnson should have take off his shirt at least once- he would have made a fine Superman...)
Happy to see The Immigrant did so well, given that Weinstein has basically done everything in its power to ensure people stay from it, including awards bodies. That final shot will stay with me for a long, long time, and Cotillard has never been better. Would love to hear it discussed on the podcast. Nat, have you seen it yet?
I saw Cold in July and hated it. Tonally inconsistent, plot holey, and I thought Michael C Hall was waaaay over-the-top, particularly with the accent. It is currently at the bottom of my list for the year. (Though admittedly I only see critical hits.) If you want to see a revenge pic, see Blue Ruin instead.
I also saw Godzilla (wanted more of the titular character and less MUTO) and Belle (rigidly "90s period piece" but with some nice moments).
And Jordan, not to ask for spoilers in a comments thread, but I don't recall this last shot from The Immigrant. I think this will be vague enough for those who haven't seen it, but does it involves someone in a boat?
Jordan -- i saw it last year in October. but i do not remember the last shot well. I'm hoping to revisit it but we'll see.
Sassure -- i'll get to it this week for sure. I'm almost done.
I saw X-Men at the Thursday night sneak. Really enjoyed it. After being disappointed with Godzilla, and hating ASM 2, it was nice to enjoy a big loud summer movie.
Spent Saturday night at the Fassbinder retro at Lincoln Center - Beware of a Holy Whore and Whity. Both excellent. Beware... is a masterpiece.
Ended up doing a trio of LGBT films from Netflix on Monday - GBF, In the Name of..., and Pit Stop. Liked all three with various reservations.
Double feature at the drive-in, Rio2 and X-Men. Both quite enjoyable. Anne Hathaway and Kristin Chenoweth were great voice actors. And James McAvoy was my MVP for X-Men. And in line with a previous post, I WANT MORE BLINK! (even though I really don't want anymore comic book movies).
In to Season 2 of The Americans. Why isn't Keri Russell getting any attention for her role?
Nat & Evan - (SEMI- SPOILER for THE IMMIGRANT) Yes, the shot does involve a boat sailing away on one side of the frame and a man walking away in the other direction on the other side. Speaks so much to the journeys of both characters throughout the film.
I'm amazed THE OTHER WOMAN is almost at the 100 million dollar mark... insane!
Saw X-Men, which I enjoyed, and Belle, which had such a fascinating true story that I couldn't believe someone hadn't made a film of it before. In fact, it's such a great story that I'm sure a better film could have been made of it, but this one was just fine. Gugu Mbatha-Raw was wonderful. I remembered some of Nathaniel's gripes with it in his review, and maybe it's changed since then because I thought all the weirdness about Belle's station was pretty well-explained by it being her coming out and the fact that she hadn't really been off the estate before, and so was more a rumor/object for fascination than an actual person for those outside the family. Anyway, I enjoyed it for the story and for Gugu and the period trappings. Just wish the script had been better.
I really struggled with The Immigrant -- in the broadest strokes I really admired its exploration of how the U.S. immigrant experience was a broken promise for women, who wound up victimized almost the moment they reached these shores. Marion Cotillard is as compelling as ever.
But the script was clunky and anachronistic in so many moments, Phoenix (an actor I usually bow down to) was strangely inconsistent, and Renner looked like he belonged in another movie entirely, one about a charming clown and his wacky escapes from trouble. The finale (SPOILER) sends these two women off to California to make a better life, as if that's going to be any different for them.
I'm not familiar with James Gray's work. Is this typical for him?
Illegal immigration has a huge impact on the economy. They steal jobs and live off taxes that citizens pay. Spend a few minutes of your time at www.myteenguide.com/educating-young-people-about-illegal-immigration-and-health-hazards/ about educating young people about illegal immigration and health hazards. Illegal immigrants often travel outside the region, spreading rapidly throughout the country.