The Magnificent...Two
Sunday, September 25, 2016 at 4:09PM Movie Stars still matter. As long as they're real movie stars and not just "leads". Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks both became famous in the 1980s and they continue to be two of the most reliable leading men thirty-ish years after their first hits. So nothing about the success of The Magnificent Seven and Sully is complicated or surprising. Congrats to those perennials. Here are the weekend box office charts:
TOP TEN WIDE
01 The Magnificent Seven $35 NEW Review
02 Storks $21.8 NEW
03 Sully $13.8 (cum. $92.3) Review
04 Bridget Jones's Baby $4.5 (cum. $16.4) Review
05 Snowden $4.1 (cum. $15.1)
06 Blair Witch $3.9 (cum $16.1) Review & Remembering Blair Witch (1999)
07 Don't Breathe $3.8 (cum. $81.1)
08 Suicide Squad $3.1 (cum. $318.1) Review & Worst of Year
09 When the Bough Breaks $2.5 (cum. $26.6)
10 Kubo and the Two Strings $1.1 (cum $45.9) Review
TOP TEN LIMITED
(Excluding Previously Wide)
01 No Manches Frida $740K (cum. $10.3)
02 The Beatles: Eight Days a Week... $397K (cum. $1.4)
03 The Queen of Katwe $305K NEW
04 The Hollars $273K (cum. $729K)
05 The Dressmaker $180K NEW
06 Don't Think Twice $132K (cum $4) Review
07 Hunt for the Wilderpeople $78K (cum. $5) Review
08 Cafe Society $57K (cum. $10.9) Review
09 Greater $55K (cum. $1.8)
10 Indignation $25K (cum $3.3) Review
While the inspirational drama Queen of Katwe didn't exactly sell out its shows this weekend at 52 locations, word of mouth has been so strong on that picture that we can expect it will expand well once that word of mouth has a chance to be heard. The Dressmaker wasn't quite as big a draw in select cities but Kate Winslet and the movie's wackiness (anyone longing for the days of hit Australian comedy imports of the 1990s should run to the theater) should help keep that one afloat for a bit.
What did you see this weekend?
Reader Comments (23)
Has anyone seen The Innocents - the new Agata Kulesza movie? It's been playing up here for over a month, and I haven't been able to see it yet. I also haven't heard much buzz about it. Should it be a priority?
I've had to avoid movies the past couple of weeks as work made doing anything but re-watch Gran Budapest Hotel an impossibility, but I'll be making my return to the theatre this week and going out to Hell or High Water.
I saw "Sully" which is very good even though there doesn't seem to be enough story for a feature. Hanks of course is a star and Eastwood is a star behind the camera. Denzel is a star ( of course it doesn't hurt that he has Chris Pratt along for the ride)
I was laid up recovering from wisdom tooth surgery (ugh!) so I've mostly just binged TV, but I did watch Cleo from 5 to 7, The Equalizer, and Black Mass. Only one of them was actually good (guess which), but the other two were fine "zone out and half watch a movie" movies.
Roark: I feel like Cleo from 5 to 7, watched under the painkilling narcotics of post-dental surgery, would be tough to follow but dreamy.
I may try it.
Saw MAGNIFICENT 7, but thinking I might do a QUEEN OF KATWE/THE DRESSMAKER double next weekend.
I saw Snowden, which was good but a bit too "easy" of a film given its subject, and drops the ball on the ending, and The Dressmaker, which I pretty much loved unreservedly.
I also saw Queen of Katwe at a pre-release screening earlier in the week, and even though that, too, was a bit too "easy" of a film, it wasn't until afterwards, when they live-streamed a Q&A with director Mira Nair and her stars that I realized just how revolutionary it is - while the film mostly fits into typical "inspirational sports underdog becomes champion" beats, it's SO incredibly rare to see a film where the protagonist is a poor African girl, and even rarer within this genre. In fact, between Phiona and her mother, the focus is MOSTLY on women, and the lessons learned aren't quite as easy or pat as they usually are in films like this. There's no denying the film's heartwarming abilities, though, and Lupita Nyong'o and David Oyelowo are FANTASTIC.
The Dressmaker is SO GOOD! A bit heartbreaking and sad for my taste, but totally fun and hilarious. Kate is superb and underrated Judy Davis is fantastic. Should be a major contender for Oscars imo.
Mike - It was extremely dreamy. I recommend the experience!
Mr. Robot, which I find both confusing and entertaining.
Happy for Denzel and Tom but let's not forget real plane crash and guns are big $ factors. They are enticement and talent.
Sad for Brad and Angelina, shooting victims and the baseball player and his friends in Florida boat crash. Tough times, with weather that is freakishly too hot.
Ixcanul and The Light Between Oceans. Both worth the visit to the theatres.
I watched Sully, which was a very well made, old-fashioned type of movie; I enjoyed it. My one criticism is the abrupt ending which left a bad taste in my mouth; they couldn't throw in a scene of him reconciling with his family?? I didn't get it.
Transparent Season 3. Sad, brilliant. Such infuriating, broken people but you can't look away.
I saw Kate Plays Christine and American Honey. Both were excellent. Saddened that the latter isn't getting any Oscar conversation, but I suppose it skews too young (at least in concept).
I watched the first 2 episodes of American Horror Story ... I could not believe how BAD it is... the stories have always been bizarre ... but this is ridiculous... the writing, the acting ...everything is a mess... it seems they are making it up as they go along...
When it comes to being a box office draw, Tom Hanks plays in a different league entirely than Denzel Washington: Hanks starred in 18 movies that made more than 100 million dollars at the box office, with 10 of them making more than 150 million, Washington's biggest hit is American Gangster with just about 130 million, and only four other movies scratch the 100 million mark.
Even if you consider the fact that three of Hanks' 18 100 million dollar hits are Toy Story movies, another is animated, as well, and one is a Leonardo DiCaprio vehicle, that leaves us with an impressive 12 huge hits where he was the main box office draw (and yes, I do believe Hanks is a bigger box office draw than Meg Ryan, Dan Brown or even Steven Spielberg); now compare that to two or three 100 million dollar movies with Denzel as the main draw (The Pelican Brief was a Julia Roberts vehicle first and foremost, and both Ryan Reynolds and Russell Crowe might have been the better selling co-stars in Safe House and American Gangster).
* Snowden - really liked it. Nothing extraordinary, but a wonderful dramatization of the story. Levitt nails Snowden's accent. Wonderful chemistry between him and Woodley. Loved the scene where Zachary grills Redgrave Junior Vol. II about the purpose of journalism.
*Bad Moms - it was fun
*Carol again, duh ;)
Is The Dressmaker going to get actual nationwide distribution? I would love to see it, but it's been awfully quiet.
MrW: Um...I'll give you Pelican Brief and KIND OF American Gangster (it was 2007, not 2010, so Crowe's star hadn't completely faded yet, but it's not like he was operating at 1999-2001 levels at that point), but Ryan Reynolds didn't really transition from "unusually over-used beefcake" to "genuine (potential) star" until THIS YEAR, so I can't really say Denzel wasn't, by a WIDE margin, the bigger selling point for Safe House.
LOL, Denzel or Streep can never get a break. Tom may have headlined a lot of box office hits, with his likable everyman captain, pilot, lawyer, etc. personae, but it does not diminish others' significant accomplishments.
Marie: Hanks isn't a bad actor, but his career is like James Stewart sans the Vertigo kicker that tied up everything and made Stewart an ageless ACTOR, not just "that aw shucks guy the 40s decided was a star."
Half of the group I was with while traveling Europe were Australian, and they all highly recommended "The Dresser". So I had high expectations going in, and it didn't disappoint.
It's like a good novel, with leisurely stretches to fill in the characters, and surprise twists. I really enjoyed it.
Otherwise, I caught up sampling the new fall shows. Really enjoyed "This Is Us", which really does feel like the new "Parenthood".
Hanks and Washington are both classic movie stars- no matter the movie they are always a good safe bet. Now they both have air crash movies in their careers
Saw "Don't Breathe" which was actually pretty twisty with good cinematography and suspense. I was worried that I would just hate all the characters and, while it does get pretty nasty at times, I was pleasantly surprised that not everyone was quite as bad as I'd thought.