Box Office: Katniss Reigns (Softly) While Spotlight Gains
Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 1:13PM [Whistles Katniss theme]
As expected Katniss and her unmerry band of rebels dominated the weekend box office as The Hunger Games franchise finally wrapped up. Though this is the softest opening yet for the franchise it's not soft enough to end Hollywood's love of splitting final chapters into two for no good narrative reason so the trend will obviously continue for now. (sigh). I personally have no real ill will for this franchise (it's okay but I bowed out after the second film -- just too dull for my personal tastes) but The Film Experience does have official stance ill will for franchise decisions that no reasonable trustworthy person could ever claim were based on anything other than milking more money from fans. "Event" showbiz is fun but the first priority really should be to the generous fan bases of serial cinema -- Hollywood owes fans good storytelling, not padding to take more of their paycheck once you've hooked them. You're not drug dealers, movie studios, you're showmen! Putting on a great show needs to be your priority. Hopefully the upcoming slate of finale splitting franchises fail in much more embarrassing / decisive ways so -- Hollywood deserves the wrist-slapping.
BOX OFFICE
(Nov 20th-22nd)
01 Hunger Games 4 (4,175 screens) $101 new Hunger Games & Oscar
02 Spectre (3,659 screens) $14.6 (cum. $153.7) Review
03 Peanuts Movie (3,671 screens) $12.8 (cum. $98.9)
04 The Night Before (2,960 screens) $10.1 new
05 Secret in Their Eyes (2,392 screens) $6.6 new
06 Love the Coopers (2,603 screens) $3.9 (cum. $14.8)
07 The Martian (2,086 screens) $3.7 (cum. $213) Podcast
08 Spotlight (598 screens) $3.6 (cum. 5.8) First Impression
09 The 33 (2,452 screens) $2.2 (cum. $9.9)
10 Bridge of Spies (1,532 screens) $1.9 (cum. $65.1) Review, Tom Hanks
11 Goosebumps (1,787 screens) $1.7 (cum. $76) First Impression
12 Brooklyn (113 screens) $1.1 (cum. $2.1) Review, Saoirse & Best Actress
13 Hotel Transylvania 2 (828 screens) $.7 (cum. $166.4) on director Genndy Tartakovsky
14 Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (283 screens) $.6 (cum. $3.9)
15 Suffragette (517 screens) $.5 (cum. $3.5) Carey's Performance, Review
Among the limited releases Spotlight and Brooklyn had the strongest per screen totals. Hopefully they'll stay strong in wider release since at heart they're quite accessible entertainments and it's infinitely depressing that anything non-genre that aims for adult audiences and quality these days is automatically viewed as "specialized" in its appeal. Room, a much trickier sell than either of those premise-wise is having a tougher time expanding but if the A24 Best Picture hopeful can hold out until top ten lists and awards noms give it some extra juice it should do well. It's already gathered a reasonable $2.8 million in its first month or so in release.
In extremely miniscule release Todd Haynes's latest masterpiece Carol earned a robust quarter million on just 4 screens... though in rather frustrating news it seems to be sticking to its originally aborted release date (opposite Star Wars) in terms of when it will show up in a lot of sizeable markets and won't be in some other smaller markets until Christmas day and beyond. In short: we're not sure when to schedule our proposed Carol week since it's going to take forever for many of you to see it. We feel your pain; you don't deserve the torturous wait.
What did you see this weekend?
I had a homebody weekend looking at screeners for Black Mass (for the first time), Truth (again), and the first half of Jessica Jones (Netflix).
Reader Comments (69)
Screeners for Carol will leak before its Christmas Day wide release. We'll be having the Carol conversation soon enough.
watched
*45 years - great ending indeed but had higher expectations
*The Lady in the Van - enjoyed it more than I expected to, was genuinely surprised a few times, easily Maggie Smith's Best Leading motion picture performance since forever!
*The Hunger Games Part II - really enjoyed it; so inspirational and fascinating! Sight unseen, let's just nominate J Law for this instead of Joy.
So happy for Carol and not at all surprised of the early success. Harvey shall me milking this one King's Speech style. I'm happy with a potential eventual backlash. As long it does earn big money and win Oscars we'll be able to legitimately annoy the haters forever.
I feel like Cate Blanchett really may be winning her 3rd sooner than Meryl.
Yavor of course Blanchett won't have to wait as long as Streep for a third. In the case of Streep everyone accepted she was number one and demanded her work be of a certain standard to actually award her statuettes. In the end she was serviceable in most roles without ever owning them. She also never campaigned until The Iron Lady in the very same year she received a Kennedy Centers Honor.
Blanchett is the male Day-Lewis.
- Black Mass for the second time on a big screen; liked it better, possibly/probably because I was wider awake this time; post Q&A screening enlightening. Almost everyone on the panel said they wished they'd had more/any screen time with Sarsgaard. (Obligatory category fraud question: how is Edgerton supporting in this? It's a big ensemble, sure, but he and Depp are clearly co-leads.)
- The Danish Girl: I think I finally get why people object to Hooper's mise-en-scène. I found myself way too aware of the locations, which reminded me of the porn set used in The King's Speech. That said, I preferred Redmayne's Lili to his Hawking. Awkward Eddie really is our contemporary answer to the Hugh Grant Stammer. (Side note to Schoenaerts: never go clean-shaven again!) But seriously, I was moved by tis movie, big work of fiction that it is.
- Concussion: my favorite Will Smith performance to date (not saying much), but this is a TV movie. (Side note to Alec Baldwin: dialect fail...)
- Spectre: AWESOME opening credits (except for the song). Waste of the women. Waltz ugh. Still, I am a fan of the Craig era--the only Bond films I've seen in theaters within weeks of their opening (except Goldeneye and I can't remember why that was). I just like that mix of contemporary-stylish and steeped-in-tradition. (Post-Connery, I stopped paying attention to clothes, accessories and interior design until Casino Royale.) And unlike some people (ahem) I'm a sucker for an extended origin story.
I went to see SPECTRE yesterday, it was awesome!
I went to see Spotlight. Wow. I can't see how any other film will equal it for me this year. (well, maybe Carol...)
Spotted on/stolen from tumblr because this sums it up more than any comment I make could (I already live in Ohio during election season - do they have to make my location-based pains worse?!?) https://41.media.tumblr.com/e44abf0f024cdd1c83fccfd7ad429758/tumblr_ny6qq8Yha81u8ha16o1_540.jpg
Most times when it comes to a film's release I get so annoyed that I have to wait for so long living across the pond but with Carol coming to screens near me next week I can't wait to witness the life changing picture I'm sure it will be.
As for the films I saw they included underwhelming Hunger Games outside Lawrence's strong lead turn. Lady in the Van which was good for smith but not much other then her turn. Steve Jobs was very disappointed feeling so awkward from scene to scene. Also is it me or is this one of Fassbender's weaker performances. Lastly I saw another Winslet film in The Dressmaker which was a fun mess I guess with some good moments throughout but overall disappointed. Also I viewed the first 4 episodes of Jessica Jones and while I liked it I didn't love it.
I really need Carol I guess because since 45 Years I haven't experienced a film as great since.
Not this weekend, but earlier in the week I swooned over "Brooklyn." Such a lovely film.
*Spotlight - a good, sturdy movie, but I'm surprised this has been as well received as it has. I thought it was a fairly dull, artless movie, and the writing was often painfully on the nose. Still, the final act, when the story's publication is imminent and all the barely concealed conflicts from earlier in the movie come spilling out, is pretty great. Keaton and Schrieber both standouts. I thought Ruffalo and McAdams were pretty weak.
*Mockingjay Part 1 - watched this in anticipation of seeing Part 2 with family this week. I totally get and share the complaints about splitting books into multiple movies, but I still say this is the one movie that makes the conceit work. It's slower, darker, more character driven, and really expands on and deepens the themes of the first two films. And Lawrence is fantastic. She would've been very deserving of a nomination for this performance.
*Spy - hilarious. One of those comedies where the entire cast is having a blast trying to top each other. Rose Byrne is best in show - wish she were in the conversation for a nomination.
*Martian - I've already seen it, but am going back for round 2 with my boyfriend in about a half hour. Hoping I'll like it a little bit more this time.
Mockingjay pt 2 - agree on everything said in the main article. It really suffers due to the split, it was slow and the little action there was felt like an ALIENS ripoff. There are good scenes but overall a disappointment (Sutherland is best in show).
Dior and I - fun doc but nothing new or special.
Why horror? - if you´re a fan of the genre it´s a must. You won't learn anything new but it´s fun nonetheless.
Started out on Jessica Jones and the first two eps were good so this one I´ll watch all the way through.
...and finally saw Desperately seeking Susan again, not a good movie but it´s charming and Madonna is magnetic (but that doesn´t mean she´s a good actress but we all knew that).
/3rtful - Blanchet is not the male Day-Lewis. She is not any male counterpart. She is a living legend. Stop being sexist.
@ Roark, your Mockingjay Part 1 thoughts are literally identical to what I wrote about the film last year when I saw it. So glad someone agrees. Also, I so adore Moore's in-the-closet bitch. The role could've been blown out of proportion and hurt the beautifully introverted feel of the film tremendously.
I've long ago given up on blaming Hollywood for all these things. If audiences demanded better, Hollywood would be providing better. Hollywood is built on private profit-oriented ventures. The fact that quality doesn't correlate with profit isn't Hollywood's fault, it's audiences' fault.
Roark, I agree with you about Spotlight (though I don't think Keaton was particularly great).
1. Strangers, The Gena Rowlands - Bette Davis TV movie I was unaware of before Rowlands mentioned it in her acceptance speech. It's weak on many respects (writing, directing, cinematography), but the curiosity factor kept me interested. I was rewarded with a couple of wonderful moments in both performances.
2. Carol. I'm a big fan of melodrama, Fassbinder, Sirk, Almodovar, Far from Heaven, etc.
I swear I don't want to be a contrarian on this, but I have to say I'm truly puzzled about Carol's acclaim. Was I supposed to buy the characters are deeply in love? Based on what exactly? Love at first sight? Am I supposed to believe these are interesting women with redeeming qualities? I never for a second believed there was love between these two women. And when they actually made love I thought the actresses and the director were unable to convey neither love nor passion. Who kisses the middle of someone's chest yet doesn't touch their nipples when they have sex? And why does Haynes choose to show the back of Therese's head when they share their very first kiss instead of their faces?
I think there was only one true scene in the entire movie - the hearing with the lawyers - in which there are real stakes and heat. Everything else was fluff. Snippets. Superficial exchanges that we are supposed to fill in as having substance, as if it's amounting to something deeper than what it's actually being shown. I was really unimpressed with the acting. Blanchett does twice as much as what she needs to do in every gesture, look and inflection. Add that to the style, it's just extremely distracting. Patricia Clarkson could have injected truth and real passion into this role. I felt Mara didn't really add anything to what it's already on the page. And the script really fails to create a character that is interesting, so that's what I got in the end.
I would really like to hear what people who had a positive experience with this movie have to say about some of these points because I would truly like to understand what I couldn't connect with.
{Spoilers} I swear I though Therese had actually realized what a delusional creep Carol was when she tells her she loves her in the table scene (I even thought Mara's acting suggested that). I thought she had realized how much better off she was without having Carol in her life and that for a moment gave me hope Therese, as a character, had at least two dimensions instead of just one, but alas, I was wrong (End of spoilers}
I saw quite a few this weekend:
Deliverance - I enjoyed the stunt work and Voight's performance, but the entire movie left me feeling underwhelmed; I think it isn't as smart as it thinks it is.
Rome, Open City - a terrific film that shows the strength one can have in being true to your ideals. It actually reminded me of Army of Shadows (except not as depressing).
Room - great performances from the two leads (and yes, despite what others would have you believe, Jacob Tremblay's role is in fact a lead performance) with a great script to boot. Not as emotional as I thought it was going to be, but that's hardly an indictment as the movie does a great job of pulling at your heart strings...I'm assuming those with children will be more moved by it?
Spotlight - I couldn't believe a movie about investigative journalism could be so enthralling. The movies pace keeps it from getting boring and the strong cast (no one really stands out, a true ensemble piece) with distinct personalities keeps it interesting. I agree with a previous commenter that it really does pick up in the third act, with the "choir" scene being the most emotionally affecting, best directed scene I've seen all year. It's definitely my choice for the best film of 2015 so far.
GorAn - I agree with that in theory but I think Hollywood contributed to this by purposefully ghetto using dramas and making it hard for people to see films - we discuss this complicated problem on tonight's podcast
The wait for Carol is killing me slowly. I am trying to tide myself over with other Blanchett related activities. So over the weekend I watched Charlotte Gray again.
I'm indifferent to The Hunger Games movies, but if the box office for the final one was softer than expected, it's probably because those of us in the middle of the country were buried in snow this weekend, not because there was a sudden loss of interest. No one I know was going to the movies.
I finally caught up with Beasts of No Nation, which was a noble effort but fell short of its goals, partially because it just became too consistently punishing... though Abraham Attah was outstanding. I'm somewhat surprised he hasn't generated more awards talk.
I was speaking with a local film critic the other day about actresses, Oscars, soundtracks, etc. And he also raised the possibility of Blanchett winning her 3rd much faster than Streep did and chalking up string of nominations during this and next decade if she continues to nab good roles and unleash her mojo.
I saw Room, and it was very emotionally striking. So pure and served the story it had to tell with graceful truth.
If I had an Oscar ballot, Tremblay would be on it - for Lead Actor. And Larson is unsurprisingly masterful. At this point, she''s who I would put money on for the win.
19 nominations and constantly being fresh is serviceable? Oh my sides. I really recommend the Maureen Dowd piece on women in Hollywood in the Sunday New York Times magazine. Good read.
Nathaniel, I look forward to the podcast. I'm at the point where I re-listen to all of them. One thing - I can't find the post-TIFF 2015 podcast and I could swear you did one.
I actually think it's a bit of an oroborous. The argument that the audience migrated to television actually doesn't hold up (one of the more common arguments). Nor is the fact that audiences will not see these movies in theatres (The Monuments Men, a punchline, actually grossed nearly 80 million dollars)
@Yavor - awesome, that makes two of us! Agreed on Moore - she plays what could have been a tricky or problem role perfectly (big surprise). I loved the interplay between her and Hoffman, too.
@Arkaan - agreed on Keaton. He's not great, but he gets the job done.
Hillary Swank may also win her 3rd Oscar faster than Meryl... What is everyone's point?
Besides, even if nominated for Carol, I still think another actress will have the stronger narrative and "it" factor over Blanchett
I finally saw Room. The movie would have been a glorified Hallmark Mystery movie without Jacob Tremblay. It is possibly the best kid performance I have ever seen. He really should get the Best Actor win. But alas ... won't happen.
/3rtful -- The Film Experience does not condone piracy so please stop acting like that's an okay alternative to proselyte here. There is no substitute for seeeing great movies on theater screens. Plus artists of Haynes magnitude deserve our dollars so they can make more great art.
Raul -- so glad you felt that way. I keep hoping more readers will discover it.
Jamie & Everyone -- third acting Oscars are EXTREMELY uncommon. I wouldn't bank on them for any currently hot performer necessarily given that it's only happened 6 times in the 87 year Oscar history.
WALTER BRENNAN 1940 (did it before Oscar traditions were firmly in place... and wouldn't have otherwise)
KATHARINE HEPBURN 1967 (a total legend)
INGRID BERGMAN 1974 (a total legend)
JACK NICHOLSON 1997 (a total legend)
MERYL STREEP 2011 (a total legend)
DANIEL DAY LEWIS 2012 (the most esteemed / most elusive working actor)
The best way to become a three time winner is if you win one very early in your career before you're "due" really so that IF you manage legend status afterwards -- which very few young in their career winners do -- they don't feel that they've amply rewarded you since the first one came before you were [NAME IN ALL CAPS]. This is true of 4 of these 6 performers.
So the only person who fits the bill currently is probably Jennifer Lawrence and she only has 1 so this six person club is safe from new members for awhile.
Saw "Spectre", which I am calling "Basic Bond". It wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't clever; hits the most expected beats and lacks a clear hook or talking point.
...which is a long way of saying I think Cate Blanchett would be a lot more of a threat to win 3 if she had won for Elizabeth (1998) ... in which case i don't believe she would have won for The Aviator (2004)... if that makes any sense at all.
While it has only happened six times, I think it's worth noting that half of those are in the last twenty years.
I watched:
EVERY SECRET THING: I can see how Amy Berg was attracted to this material after having worked on WEST OF MEMPHIS, but this just is not good. Surely Nicole Holofcener's screenplay was heavily altered. I can't imagine her directing this script or Frances McDormand starring in it like originally planned.
JAMES WHITE: Cynthia Nixon (and to a lesser degree Christopher Abbott) is great, but there's not really enough there for the film to be satisfying. A double bill of this and I SMILE BACK would not be too off the mark for comparisons sake.
(T)ERROR: A wasted opportunity to take access to both an FBI informant and his target (without each others' knowledge) and make something truly scathing. The final 30 minutes are strong, but the rest is too focused on stuff that feels less interesting.
LILA & EVE: Silly stuff, even before the (obvious) twist. Viola Davis typically great, though.
ABOUT ELLY: Even better than A SEPARATION? I say so, yes. Extraordinary.
We all know Cate's win for The Aviator was the Academy's way of giving Katharine Hepburn yet another Oscar. She's wonderfully campy in the role, but it's not really her best work, and I don't think the film holds up at all.
Re: Nat's theory/stats
Who is more likely to achieve living legend status (and get a third Oscar): Hanks, Swank or Sally Field? (J-Law needs a second before I'd even consider discussing her in this context.)
#comehomedameglenda
If they make a movie about Cate Blanchett's tilt at a third Oscar, can it please be called "Cate 3: The Catering"?
SPOTLIGHT (2nd time): one of the best films on journalism I've seen. But, I do agree with someone who said some elements of the screenplay were just too on the nose.
ROOM (2nd time): Walked away with even more appreciation for Jacob Tremblay. His natural presence elevated this so-so material. Brie Larson did a fine job, but not on par with the actresses from the two other films I saw this weekend.
CAROL: Cate Blanchett is exquisite and mesmerizing! I have yet to see an actress this year who deserves that Oscar more than Blanchett for this role. **SPOILER** One of last scenes at the restaurant when Blanchett apologizes and professes her love at the same time was a revelation. As great as Blanchett is, I didn't feel as strongly for Mara and some of the dynamics of the relationship. Brokeback Mountain made you feel the lovers' despair and longing. Didn't really feel that they conveyed that well enough in Carol until the last few scenes of the film.
BROOKLYN: As satisfying as anything that will come out this year. Ronan is a treasure. I cried, I laughed, I smiled throughout the movie. Pure movie magic.
I live in northern Kentucky (basically Cincinnati) so I have a lot of conservative Facebook "friends". Today my newsfeed was bombarded with posts of "articles" ( for example http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2015/11/21/blowhard-box-office-blowback-mockingbird-underperforms-seth-rogen-julia-roberts-tank ) claiming that Mockingjay was a box office bomb because instead of promoting the movie Jennifer Lawrence used all her press to whine about making thousands of dollars and speaking out against Kim Davis and Donald Trump and that moviegoers no longer want to associate themselves with such an antichristian feminist. There is so much stupidity on social media I can't even come up with words to respond.
Basically I just want to say I love everyone here at the film experience. It's one of the few refuges I have. Thanks Nathaniel et al!!
Tom Hanks, Cate Blanchett, and Denzel Washington feel like plausible acting three-timers. I fear Swank and Lawrence winning three. But as long as the first three living legends I mentioned get theirs I'll accept the inevitability of those lesser two performers getting theirs.
Slept on Denzel. Definitely plausible.
<I>Besides, even if nominated for Carol, I still think another actress will have the stronger narrative and "it" factor over Blanchett</I>
The same way I felt about Viola's loss...she had the stronger narrative, performance (hands down) and 'it' factor. But alas the academy chose to give a 3rd to Streep for her body of work and hammy, over-the-top caricature of Iron Lady.
People are way off topic. With The Martian still in the top ten, I would say I'm number one.
Mi pañales para adultos necesita ser cambiado.
And hell, a good bit of the the three-timers club were propelled as much by narrative as anything else (not that that's unique with Oscar at all, but still). Hepburn's second came almost immediately on the heels of Spencer Tracy's death (which she recognized), Ingrid Bergman's third was the final gift-wrapped present from Hollywood apologizing for the Rosellini era (which she knew and re-gifted the award to Valentina Cortese on the spot), and Walter Brennan just couldn't have done it if it wasn't for when he won it. Thirds are a weird business. Not to mention how contested everyone post-Bergman (and including Bergman) is or was about what they won it for, even if no one outright protests that they have it (and who could?).
Nick T - yes!
Metagame-One may argue that Viola Davis had a better performance - but Meryl's 30 year span of not winning another Oscar but continually being nominated over and over again and her late career resurgence happened to be the triumphant narrative of that year.
I just do not think that Blanchett has the narrative- the performance, yes- but she just won her second quite recently. And like Nathaniel said, a third is extremely hard to acquire (ask Meryl).
Meta game-I think Meryl's narrative of losing for 30 years trumped the performance of Davis... Just the way that happened that year
Streep had the overdue narrative but she also campaigned. Also, whenever Streep wins Best Actress I see a correlation on whoever wins Supporting Actress. Lange could not beat Streep for Best Actress so she won supporting. Viola Davis winning Best Actress would have been historic as it would be the first time two black actresses won acting Oscars on the same night. However, no one could accuse the Academy of racism if Spencer won her category. She sweep the season while different groups had either the Streep overdue agenda or history ought to be made for this respected actress of color competing for lead film prizes. The Globes, BAFTA, and the Academy broke for Streep while Critics Choice and SAG went for Viola.
We all know that Meryl won because of obvious reasons but I'm also glad some here (and elsewhere in the cinematic blogosphere) acknowledged that Viola gave the better performance. I'm not here to argue against that or why Meryl won.
What I'm saying (in tandem with the newspapers critic and friend I spoke with) is that the possibility of Blanchett getting a third Oscar before Meryl getting her fourth is much higher. I don't understand why a few here simply tend to jump at this and go for the jugular and try to mitigate the sentiment put forth on Blanchett. I like the way Nat handled this, reasoning why the third Oscar remains elusive for two-time winners.
Well that is a dumb. Not sure if anyone can really predict who will win what Oscar when and before whom. For all we know Meryl wins for Florence next year and Blanchett never gets nominated again... Or Jennifer alawrence wins 4 before any one else... Still do not understand - what is the point?
I've never said that Blanchett will win THIS year...given that she just won for B Jasmine. But what I did infer, assuming her film performances continue to be as worthy and varied as Carol's or Truth's or even Cinderella's, is that she may pick up her 3rd sometime along the way. It may be this decade or next or even further down the line...nobody can tell. Or she may not at. But my hunch is she will.,