The Martian has sturdy legs. Other Oscar contenders are wobbling.
Sunday, November 1, 2015 at 5:00PM It was a rough box office weekend for any movie that wasn't The Martian or Bridge of Spies, both of which are obviously holding audiences enthralled given their minuscule drops from last weekend (that always equals: word of mouth). In fact, The Martian even got a nifty new poster for its week long run in IMAX theaters. Why it's only getting a week and only now is confusing but it is apparently so? The Martian will be the 8th top grosser of 2015 any second now and then will set its sights on toppling Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation and Cinderella though the top five of the year will remain well out of reach. The lowest grosser among the curren top five is Minions with over $334 milllion in its US coffers and with Star Wars and The Hunger Games still to come in 2015 this is going to be a very high grossing box office year... for the top films at least.
BOX OFFICE WIDE
800+ screens (Oct 30th-Nov 1st)
01 The Martian $11.4 (cum. $182.8) Podcast
02 Goosebumps $10.2 (cum. $57.1)
03 Bridge of Spies $8 (cum. $45.2) Review, Tom Hanks
04 Hotel Translyvania 2 $5.8 (cum. $156) Tim on the director Genny Tartakovsky
05 Burnt $5 NEW
06 The Last Witch Hunter $4.7 (cum. $18.6)
07 Paranormal Activity: Ghost Dimension $3.4 (cum. $13.5) Review
08 Our Brand is Crisis $3.4 NEW
09 Crimson Peak $3.1 (cum. $27.7) Review
10 Steve Jobs $2.5 (cum. $14.5) Review
BOX OFFICE LIMITED (excluding prev. wide)
(Oct 30th-Nov 1st)
01 Room (49 screens) $.2 (cum. $.7) First Impression
02 The Witness (40 screens) $.1 NEW
03 Suffragette (23 screens) $.1 (cum. $.2) FYC Carey Mulligan
04 Meet the Patels (59 screens) $.07 (cum. $1.4)
05 Ladrones (112 screens) $.07 (cum. $2.9)
06 Goodnight Mommy (71 screens) $.06 (cum. $1) Interview
07 Labyrinth of Lies (49 screens) $.06 (cum. $.4) Interview, Review, Alexander Fehling
08 Nasty Baby (18 screens) $.06 (cum. $.07) Review
09 Goodbye Mr Loser (23 screens) $.05 (cum. $1.2)
10 Love (2 screens) $.03 NEW Interview, Review, Karl Glusman
Somehow audiences weren't even interested in the somewhat bankable Bradley Cooper (Burnt) and the very bankable Sandra Bullock (Our Brand is Crisis) who experienced her worst wide opening ever with less than $4 million -- her previous nadir was Two if By Sea (1996) which opened to just over $10 million. In 1996. Let that sink in.
In the realm of the Oscar movie it's rough out there -- surely because all of them opened at once! Grandma (August) and Sicario (September), for example, neither of which totally broke out but also earned relatively healthy sums given what they were, are looking very smart in hindsight to have opened before the avalanche of adult titles came down spoiling the audience for choice. Over the past two and half decades distributors have created this problem for themselves by training adult audiences to pay no attention to adult fare except around Oscar time. We theorize that this contributed to the rise of quality TV and the decimation of moviegoing audiences who were into quality that didn't involve big budget spectacle. So now all the serious movies get jammed into the same few months and eat into each other's potential audiences: Truth added a thousand theaters but couldn't fill them opening outside the top ten; Steve Jobs has definitely struggled in wide release; Room and Suffragette, both in very limited release aren't packing houses the way Steve Jobs did before the big exansion. Word of mouth could still save Room (it's very early in the run, after all) but with a super crowded marketplace it's hard to win attention even if people really like you.
What this will mean for the Oscars is anyone's guess but Oscars tend to ignore you if you're seen as an outright flop rather than a movie that struggled to find its audience. And, yes, those are very different things.
What did you see this weekend?
Somehow I skipped moviegoing this weekend. Given the ultra weak box office results everywhere, perhaps all of you did, too.
Reader Comments (41)
Saw Bridge of Spies, which was handsome and kept my attention but had a distinct lack of extra-mile. And rewatched Rosemary's Baby, which maybe only truly pops on the big screen? Saw it last year in a theater and l-o-v-e-d.
Is it possible that indie movies like 'Room' are being impacted by streaming services like Netfilx? I wonder if people are waiting to stream it because they don't want to pay $15 to see a depressing indie.
I went to see a 7pm showing of Room on Halloween night, and the theater was packed. Plus, people seemed to be loving it.
Steve Jobs flopping is just the sweetest thing. Anyone who honestly thought it would make money must be lobotomized. You know who was right about it? Amy Pascal from Sony who really had a knack for movies but was unfairly fired and will probably never work again. Unfortunate.
Steve Jobs is a terrible human being. Why even bother making a movie about that asshole? Fassbender is a domestically violent, overrated hack of an actor who alternates between whisper mumbles and screaming for "artistic effect". Danny Boyle is arguably one of the worst filmmakers of all time. People who obsess over Trainspotting or Slumdog really need to see more movies. They are visually abhorrent, horrifically edited disasters.
But the only people surprised are film fanatics and film reviewers who continue to champion the white male mediocrity we have grown to tolerate like the film Steve Jobs. How long until everyone's excited for our next Danny Boyle or Fassbender movie? Like right now? Why aren't their failures ever measured the way failures against women and minorities are?
Looking forward to the excuses!
I just came from Steve Jobs. I quite liked it.
Saw Bridge of Spies and loved it. Nice to see a film that wasn't straining to be everything to everybody and just told its fascinating story aided by excellent work by all. As everyone has said Mark Rylance stood out but there wasn't a weak performance in the film. Wish Billy Magnussen had been in it a bit more, I really liked his eager beaver take on Hanks's young assistant.
Also saw Cleo from 5 to 7 for the first time and it was wonderful as well as the notorious The Poppy is Also a Flower (with an intro by Princess Grace no less!) which was not so wonderful although nowhere near as bad as its reputation would lead you to believe and it was star packed (Yul Brynner, Rita Hayworth, Omar Sharif, Angie Dickinson and on and on) too boot.
Poor Sandra Bullock. Our Brand Is Crisis was meant to be her vehicle to a third Oscar nomination. I suppose it makes sense for her to slow down in terms of momentum considering she was never thought to be anything more than a one time deal initially with The Blind Side. But Gravity declared she is very much a contender for the long haul. Unlike other recent Best Actress winners who can't seem to get arrested for doing interesting work somehow Bullock will return when she has a movie the critics like and the public sees.
Two very different horror films " Goosebumps" funny scary for monster lovers of all ages and "Crimson Peak" beautifully designed with Oscar worthy sets and costumes, but the story was a bit weak and the big twist not so shocking- I kept expecting some HP Lovecraft creature to rise from that red mud.
This week was the opening weekend of the British Film Festival here in Australia. I saw YOUTH (amazing, just what I expected from the director of THE GREAT BEAUTY), ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING (very ordinary, neither a good "final film" for Robin Williams nor a good movie for a Monty Python reunion), THE LOST AVIATOR (not a bad doco about Bill Lancaster) and old films WOMEN IN LOVE (not as good as I had expected, but that wrestling scene! And I'm not even gay!) and SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY (absolutely beautiful and heart-wrenching).
Also squeezed in THE DRESSMAKER, and I am not as enthusiastic as Glenn Dunks on this one. It wasn't bad, but I don't think Moorhouse got the mix/balance of broad caricature characters and serious drama quite right.
"Steve Jobs" will be fine. People are blowing its disappointing numbers way out of proportion.
@ Rahul, I love what you've said, I raised my voice at my mom and a bus driver today, and now I realize I should have. :D
Oh, and forgot I also did a Cara Delevingne double - PAPER TOWNS and PAN. (Anyone who has seen either film will understand, as both are OK but almost instantly forgettable).
Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper flopping in the same weekend is delicious.
All About Steve redux, anyone?
This has been a brutally over-packed October. Seems like, when presented with way too many options, audiences will always choose the consensus word of mouth crowd pleaser - which in this case is The Martian. Nothing else managed to punch through, which is a really damning indictment of studio scheduling and marketing. It's a real bummer watching ambitious, star studded, studio backed adult-oriented movies flopping week after week after week, because inevitably studios are going to look at these returns, and then look at the billions rolling in over the summer, and decide that they should make more summer movies and just put them out in October.
Steve Jobs seems like the type of movie that, in the past, would've become huge on home video, but does that even happen anymore? Maybe if it still gets awards season traction, but even that seems in doubt now that it has the stink of financial failure on it. Too bad - I saw it Friday and really liked it.
I also saw Sicario and The Martian. I liked all three very much. It was a good movie going weekend. Bridge of Spies and Room are next up.
Steve Jobs fell 67% (right?) in its second weekend of wide release. That's not a word of mouth performance. That's a people don't give a shit performance.
I assume The Martian in IMAX thing is because THE WALK tanked so hard and they're like "please, anything else!"
Who had time to go to the movies this weekend? It's Halloween!!!
That said, I did end up seeing ROOM on Thursday. Excellent. Heart-breaking. Wonderful.
Looking forward to seeing the Broadway adaptation for STEVE JOBS.
I saw Sicario. It was very well-made and intense but also, as they say, problematic. I'm a bit puzzled by the reviews for Emily Blunt. She is fine, but it was a very specific and emotionally-limited performance. I would champion Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin before her for a nod.
Also, it's interesting how many 300 million grossers there are already and currently only one film has grossed in the 200 range. Last year it seemed like every blockbuster couldn't get past the 250 million range.
You are right " The Walk" has not become the movie event they expected- are too many people afraid of heights to experience that in IMAX and 3 - D? I really have no interest in the "Steve Jobs" movie isn't a bit early for him to get the biofilm treatment- or perhaps audiences just want to watch it in the iphone. " The Martian" has a classic story of survival with a well loved star no wonder it's a hit.
I saw "Room". It's devastating (In a very good way)
I saw Grandma. Reviews from older ladies around me : "I didn't know she was gonna be a lesbian!"; "Well that was different"; "I don't think I've ever seen her act before". Hope they're not Oscar voters. HAHA
Also saw Room. Jacob Tremblay for Best Supporting Actor even though it's category fraud!!!!!!!!!!!
"Room," which has some issues feeling kind of facile and manipulative in places, but I was extremely moved by it anyway. Jacob Tremblay is sensational, and Abrahamson and crew do beautiful work inhabiting his perspective. Larson I was less wowed by, but when she's with Tremblay it's powerful stuff. Hopefully the boy is nominated in Lead if he's nominated at all - anything else would be nonsensical.
Also saw "Bridge of Spies" finally, and enjoyed it, but found it lesser Spielberg. It's essentially patriotic comfort food, there to reaffirm your beliefs in the greatness and sanctity of classic American ideals. Somewhat refreshing in its optimism, but it gets pretty mushy, and the filmmaking is weirdly perfunctory considering those involved.
Steve Jobs is a tremendous film. Rahul has to be a troll.
tonytr -- i loved Steve Jobs too. I can understand people not liking it but...
Rahul -- calling Michael Fassbender a "hack". That is ridiculous. Best actor of his generation, EASY. Every performance is different and he always feels possessed by the spirit of the film itself.
Maybe Mad Max needs to get back in the game....
For Halloween I saw "We are still here", uneven but I liked it a lot, old school, slowburn ghost story. "Cooties", fun but nothing special and the same goes for "Tales of Halloween" which was very uneven but had som fun segments. And the first ep of Ash vs Evil Dead, Raimi nailed it!
And then it was time for SPECTRE. Not nearly as good as Casino Royale or Skyfall, the structure of the film was a bit off, the action scenes were impressive but not that involving and Waltz was miscast. Well made, handsome but perhaps a bit to fan-boyish, felt at times like a remake of On her majesty´s secret service. Finally, the theme song is dreadful.
I saw Truth or The Martyrdom of St Mary Mapes. It deserves to flop. Cate Blanchett was great, of course, but that's about it for the plus side. Self-congratulatory, preachy, cliched, with two-dimensional characters (if you turned off the sound, you'd know the baddies from the goodies with 100% accuracy), and with dialogue lifted from the Dummy's Guide to Clumsy Exposition. As a member of that choir being preached to, I still found it tedious. But Cate is definitely worth the price of admission. It's an additional shame that now a great story will not get a good movie made about it.
Also saw Breathe, Melanie Laurent's (Inglourious Basterds, Beginners) little thriller with a little My Summer of Love and a little Blue Is the Warmest Color and a lot that was pretty original in it. It's about a charismatic psychopath and her attractiveness/repulsiveness to a girl who's vulnerable due to an unstable home life. The two young actesses are near perfection. It's a small movie, but it delivers on all that it promises.
Nit pick: It's "minuscule" not "miniscule"
Count me in the Bridge of Spies camp. It's always fun to be surprised by how much I like a movie. Nobody does edge of your seat like Spielberg.
Well, I guess by now friends have already forwarded that Amy Schumer skit "Last F*ckable Day" to Sandra Bullock. Bummer.
Hopefully she'll bounce back. She's one of my longtime favorite actresses and she seemed driven to more challenging projects after her Oscar win. She had a delightful run that Oscar season (even she didn't really deserve it on performance merits alone), always very humble and with quite moving speeches, and I enjoyed that it seemed like she took her win was more as a challenge than a laurel.
I hope she keeps pushing herself!
At some point (perhaps now?) the metrics for what constitutes a "flop" need to change. Just like for TV viewing (the "plus 7") helps with numbers, movie profits shouldn't be discussed until after DVD and streaming versions get released. Plus, I think it is disingenuous to attach the "flop" label to movies so soon when they will probably be seen by thousands or millions more on their TVs screen 60 to 90 days later. I do want to see The Walk, Suffragette, Truth, Steve Jobs, Burnt, and Our Brand is Crisis, but it's highly unlikely I'll make it to the movie theater for any of those.
Streamed Jurassic World with the family. I certainly want my $4.99 back right now, so SUPER glad I didn't see it in the theater.
The thought that Fassender might be the greatest his generation has to offer is depressing to me, as all of his performances have much to admire in them but have ultimately left me cold. There's something about him that makes Christian Bale seems cozy and relatable.
Saw Room! Didn't QUITE live up to the ecstatic praise I've seen from everyone, but naturally I teared up for about two-thirds of it. In a weird way, it's this year's Beasts of the Southern Wild. Brie Larson, man.
Now, I just have to see Carol!
Pam -- hear hear. totally agree. that's why i'm like "UGH" when people say things (as they are on Twitter) like "it's all over for ROOM. time's up." er, no. it's not.
Ken -- can't believe i've been spelling it wrong all these years. argh
Joanne -- perhaps this is just the window it needs!
Nathaniel:
I've always prided myself on good spelling (I made it to the regionals for the National Spelling Bee in 6th grade - and it's all been downhill from there) so when I entered Journalism School and we had a spelling test of 50 words, imagine my embarrassment when I scored a 48! Yes I made the same mistake with minuscule, the other was memento (spelled it momento, of course). Luckily there's a movie title for the latter. But the mnemonic device for minuscule is tho think it comes from minute (as in small, not 60 seconds) and not from mini- something. Cheers!
45 years
The film is good, but it lacks drama.
Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtney are great. Both could be easily nominated for leading and supporting for Academy Awards. But, the critics will have to push them since the film as a whole is not for Oscars.
Saw Dark Places - what happened to this movie? Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Christina Hendricks, Chloe Moretz Grace , based on a Gillian Flynn novel - how did that just disappear? I mean, it's not great. It'd be tough for anyone to adapt the books as it's crammed with plots, characters, twists, ideas, themes, etc. And while I don't think the director/adaptor did a great job, there's no reason A24 couldn't have made some money off of it in theaters.
Finally caught up with Mama - I needed a horror movie for Halloween and have been meaning to see that one since it came out. It was entertaining and creepy but that ending just dragged on and the monster was too vague. It was never very clear how exactly she was attacking people as they would just get up a few minutes later, seemingly fine.
Saw The Martian yesterday - entertaining but felt long. I'm glad Damon brought some emotion to the surface even when his dialogue was jokey but the movie really skimmed over what those conditions would do to his character's emotional stability.
When Michael Fassbender first appeared on the scene, I shared the general enthusiasm for him.
But with each thing I've seen him in, I like him less. Now I don't like him at all. Idk, I look at him and I distance myself from him. Maybe it's the sequence of parts he's played, but he leaves me cold now, too.
I skipped the theater this weekend but was able to catch a few movies at home. I decided to watch The Seventh Victim which aired on TCM as part of a tribute to Val Lewton for my Halloween movie and i greatly enjoyed it. very spooky and moody and it plays like a film noir. i also watched the original Imitation Of Life and while decent it is certainly not better than Douglas Sirk's version. I also watched two all star cast films The Poseidon Adventure and Murder On The Orient Express both of which I had seen before and always love especially MOTOE which has several of my all time favorite actresses (Redgrave,Bergman,Bacall) and actors (Widmark,Finney,Gielgud)
Steve Jobs is excellent. It doesn't remotely deserve this box office pummeling. Have your shitty Goosebumps and limp The Martian, America. You get the dumb films that you deserve. Too bad that this is gonna cost Steve Jobs Oscar nominations and wins next year. :-(((
Saw CUT SNAKE which has a mesmerizing and menacing performance by Sullivan Stapleton that I was wowed by. Pretty entertaining crime thriller with one of the most tragic love stories I've seen on film in recent years. Especially with the time setting and the unexpected bent.
Finally got to see ROOM today and I quite liked it. Didn't get as emotional as I thought I did (maybe cause I had read the book and already knew the plot), but solid performances all around, and nice to see Joan Allen land a quality role again!
Someone should create an Oscar vehicle for her and Michelle Pfeiffer together so they could finally win Oscars!
Michael Fassbender just doesn't seem like an actor that audiences give as much of a damn about as most cinephiles. Sadly STEVE JOBS will probably be a movie a lot of people watch on the airplane.
I stayed home and watched two similarly themed movies - The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Way, Way Back. I liked both with a stlight preference I guess for The Way Way Back. Ezra Miller could be a star in the Johnny Depp mold if he finds the right vehicle. And I watched all of the special features to see what "the kid" from Way Way Back was like in real life, but he wasn't in a single frame of the "making of."
Oh, and miniscule is mostly considered an acceptable variant of minuscule, and it's certainly the way it's pronounced.