Box Office Fault Lines
Sunday, May 31, 2015 at 2:24PM I didn't see the latest disaster epic this weekend - but maybe you did? How many people did The Rock save with his giant arms and helicopters and diving (the three techniques he used from the trailer - I'm just guessing). San Andreas the movie may have killed off Californians but it was spectacle enough to attract the nation at large with a $50+ million opening weekend which makes this his biggest opening weekend outside of the Mummy and Fast & Furious franchises.
WIDE RELEASE
May 29-31 Weekend
01 San Andreas NEW $53.2
02 Pitch Perfect 2 $14.8 (cum. $147.5) Review
03 Tomorrowland $13.8 (cum. $63.1) Review
04 Mad Max Fury Road $13.6 (cum. $115.9) Review & Podcast
05 Age of Ultron $10.9 (cum. $427) Review & Marathon & Podcast
06 Aloha NEW $10 Review
07 Poltergeist $7.8 (cum. $38.2)
08 Far From The Madding Crowd $1.4 (cum. $8.3) Review
09 Hot Pursuit $1.3 (cum. $32.3) Review
10 Home $1.1 (cum. $170.4)
Meanwhile Aloha, Cameron Crowe's latest had a dismal $10 million opening (That's a dismal opening when you've got three mostly bankable A list stars) and terrible reviews - many critics calling it his worst yet. I was curious to see it despite the reviews until I heard that Emma Stone was playing a character that was meant to be half Asian American and then I was like...'you know what Hollywood? Just not doing this anymore. ENOUGH.'
In better news Mad Max and Far From The Madding Crowd (the two we're rooting for at the moment from genre quality and "make more movies like this" concerns) held fairly well in their third and fifth weekends respectively. Fury Road's exorbitant price tag isn't going to make it one of the most profitable films of the year but at least it will eventually make its money back! I had the laziest weekend ever as you probably sensed from the unusually quiet blogging... but I'm hoping you found excitement. What did you see?
NYC Readers Take Note:
I will be appearing in a show at UCB in the East Village called "So Into It" on Tuesday night (June 2nd) this week. It's a comic variety show that changes themes each month and this month the topic is 'awards shows'. I'm not totally sure what to expect but I will be interviewed on stage at some point during the show. Please note: I am not the one bringing the comedy -- not a comedian. I'm just being interviewed but I'd appreciate support from anyone reading who is So Into The Film Experience (and also non-judgmental) as I'm terrified of being on stage.
Reader Comments (29)
I did Aloha yesterday in a double-feature with Mad Max: Fury Road (which was great) and.... it is one of the worst films I had ever seen in my entire life.
Saw Spongebob Squarepants 2 (!), great fun up until they left the ocean, Madman - inept slasher from ´82, Blackhat - what was Mann thinking? and finally, Kung Fury - fun, nerdy, swedish Kickstarter funded shortfilm that´s getting a lot of attention:)
None of the above where knockouts maybe I should set a higher standard when choosing movies?
I viewed San Andreas yesterday afternoon, which was every bit the failure I thought it would be despite the fact that I still appreciated it for what it is. One would think that with all of the money these studios pour into their tent-pole films the CGI wouldn't be so distractingly obvious, but I guess the film production teams all are under the assumption that quantity of shots trumps quality. It made me long for the days before digital became the standard..you know...when the special effects artists were a lot more creative with the employment of various techniques to accomplish what they needed to instead of letting their Macs do so much work for them. The "halos" around the actors frames belies the movie's insistence that they face that 82-foot wave before them.
Aside from all of that, once again most of the cast deserves better than this film. Carla Gugino wins best in show, striking the right balance between understanding the tone of the ridiculata around her while giving the material more than it's worth. Essentially, it's the same type of thing that Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich do much better. The script is so laughably bad and predictable that I literally would say several lines right before the characters would, knowing exactly what they would be, and knew how every plot would turn with easy.
Re: Aloha -- I'm beyond thrilled at the failure of any film in which a character's racial/ethnic background is whitewashed by casting a white actor. It is now 2015. There is no excuse for this. NONE. I refuse to see a picture set in a location filled with ethnic people when the actors are lily white, especially when at least some of the characters are supposed to be culturally diverse. Stop taking away opportunities from people who need them. Emma Stone is not hurting for work.
I miss the old Cameron Crowe. Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous are among my favorite movies from the late '90s/early '00s. Everything he's done since then has been terrible bordering on unwatchable.
Disappointing to hear about Aloha. I love Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Say Anything, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, and Vanilla Sky, and I believe that We Bought a Zoo is better than its critical reputation suggests. It's not as great as the other Crowe films, but it's a charming family film.
Glad that Mad Max is doing well. It's one of the greatest action films I've ever seen. For some reason I thought it would be doing better business, though.
Speaking of great action films, I finally saw John Woo's The Killer on Netflix, and it's a masterpiece. I also watched Paddington and I loved every second of it. I wish more people saw this one.
Saw MAD MAX FURY ROAD and still buzzing. Need to see it again.
I saw "Ex Machina" which is very well done but left me cold
Oooh.. sounds like fun, I'll try to make it to the show!
Ex Machina at Kabuki in San Francisco. Gorgeous film, smart, and very well done ScI Fi. Oscar Isaac is my lover man.
Far From The Madding Crowd is doing better than I thought it would. I saw it this weekend and liked it. Mulligan was great.
"Glad that Mad Max is doing well. It's one of the greatest action films I've ever seen. For some reason I thought it would be doing better business, though."
Me too. Maybe the the R rating is one of the reasons its not doing better business?
I thought the commercials for Mad Max were awful, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was well received by the critics. Maybe more people than me were also turned off by the advertising.
What happened to the Cameron Crowe who made 'Almost Famous' and 'Vanilla Sky'?
Finally caught up to The Clouds of Sils Maria. Haven't really sorted out my thoughts on it. I kind of only half liked it, but was fascinated throughout, and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since - always a good sign.
I also saw In the Name of the Daughter. Weird movie. Liked the first hour well enough, but it was all down hill from there.
Saw Mad Max. Terrific action film. Big non stop adrenaline rush that kept me wide eyed from start to end. Not a masterpiece IMO, but does deserve to be in year end/top 10 conversations.
From Here to Eternity (so good), Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter (too much), and Tabloid (incomplete but entertaining).
From Here to Eternity (so good), Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter (too much), and Tabloid (incomplete but entertaining).
"now, voyager" (very watchable, lol at the segment in rio, good davis, strange conclusion - I thought it was about self-empowering, discovering one's worth, and that she was caring for the daughter of her former lover because she'd discovered a vocation, maybe, but in the end it's all because she will be connected to her father?), "grace of monaco" (indeed meh).
I watched the first four episodes of Rectify on Netflix and wow, it's one of the best shows on tv right now, just incredibly thoughtful and affecting. Suzanne from Mad Men is wonderful in it. It deserves so much more attention than it's gotten.
By the way, I have always hated Cameron Crowe. The young women in his films are such empty stereotypes!
Suzanne- Right? It's a great show. I started watching it right after listening to Serial. I didn't realize the creator, Ray McKinnon, was so prolific as an actor, and won an Oscar for a short.
Yes to Rectify Season 1!
Only watched a little TV this weekend: Game of Thrones and binging the last several episodes of Agents of SHIELD. Escapes from reality.
I have never understood the love for Jerry Maquire. Such an irritating film. The dialog is truly cringe-inducing.
I'll finally be seeing Mad Max: Fury Road next weekend, and I'm psyched. I think Charlize and Tom need to have some babies--they would be some beautiful creations for sure.
Watched Wild and was astonished at how good Reese was. Laura Dern showed what a great actress can do with little screen time. Also saw Ken Russell's The Music Lovers. Freaky, frantic, sensual, sneaky--pretty much like every Russell film. Say what you will about Ken, this guy knew how his sexual hysteria.
I saw Kramer vs. Kramer in preparation for the Smackdown. I was actually kind of dreading it, despite its critical reputation, as I thought it'd trigger all sorts of negative associations with my own parents divorce. But it didn't mainly because it was more balanced than I expected - neither side is totally villified or turned into a hero. Although there were some faults (the '70s sexism, the gratuitous female nudity that didn't NEED to be gratuitous if it came up in the divorce proceedings later as another reason why he doesn't make for a good father but that didn't happen), overall it was well-acted and intelligent. I can't tell yet if I merely liked it or maybe even loved it, but I sure enjoyed it. I still can't believe this was the top-grossing movie of its year.
And then we saw Theater of War, a documentary about Meryl Streep starring in a stage version of Brecht's Mother Courage in 2006. Interesting, but focuses more on Brecht's fascinating personal story and work than Streep's process. But it is cool to see her working up close.
Question: I'm having a devil of a time finding Starting Over. Does anyone know if it's available online anywhere?
brookesboy - I watched it on Amazon Prime.
Thanks, DJ! Very cool!
@marcelo Now Voyager is one of my favorite films! I watched Throne of Blood. I have to wait for Michael/Marion version of Macbeth but it will be hard to beat this movie.
I went to see "San Andreas". It was lousy, completely insane but a lot of fun.
I saw San Andreas, Barely Lethal, Ex Machina and Far From The Madding Crowd. San Andreas was as stock as they come but it had some fun moments. Barely Lethal was also pretty unoriginal but Hailee Steinfeld was enjoyable in the lead role and it had some witty moments. Unfortunately, those moments were also a little... inappropriate (some would say repugnant but I wouldn't go that far).
I really enjoyed Ex Machina and would definitely call it my Favorite Film of 2015, so far. As for Far From The Maddening Crowd; I enjoyed it but some of the plotting was a little too convenient for my taste and it just isn't something I could see myself watching again and again.