Dystopias Large (Blade Runner 2049) and Small (The Florida Project) at the Box Office
Sunday, October 8, 2017 at 3:08PM by Nathaniel R
| Weekend Box Office (October 6th-8th) |
|
 BLADE RUNNER 2049 |
 BATTLE OF THE SEXES |
| 1.🔺 BLADE RUNNER 2049 $31.5 on 4000+ screens new BEST OF | SHORT FILMS | 6. AMERICAN MADE $8 on 3000+ screens (cum. $30.4) |
| 2.🔺 THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US $10.1 on 3000+ screens new | 7. LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE $6.7 on 3600+ screens (cum. $43.8) |
| 3. IT $9.6 on 3600+ screens (cum. $304.9) REVIEW | 5 TAKEAWAYS | 8.🔺 VICTORIA & ABDUL $4.1 on 732 screens (cum. $5.9) BEST ACTRESS |
| 4. 🔺 MY LITTLE PONY $8.8 on 2500+ new | 9. FLATLINERS $3.8 on 2500+ screens (cum. $12.3) TRAILER |
| 5. KINGSMAN: GOLDEN CIRCLE $8.1 on 3400+ screens (cum. $79.9) REVIEW OF THE ORIGINAL | 10. 🔺 BATTLE OF THE SEXES $2.4 on 1800+ screens (cum.$7.6) BEST OF... | TRAILER |
🔺 = new or significant expansion numbers (in millions unless otherwise noted) from box office mojo |
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T'was a quieter weekend than forecasters predicted at the box office with the Blade Runner sequel having more trouble than expected (which wouldn't be trouble but for that $150 million budget -- hey, at least it's all on the screen!) The Mountain Between Us didn't turn into a towering counter-programming option but with a much much lower budget $35, it should be fine in the long run.
The week's most crowded theaters (albeit only 4 of them) belonged to A24's The Florida Project, which Chris reviewed and Jason shared a personal essay about here already. We highly recommend it. The film is off to a very solid platform start of $153,000. For context that's about 2½ times the first weekend of Sean Baker's previous awards worthy critical darling Tangerine , which also happened to be a supremely empathetic, wickedly funny, moving look at a marginalized community. We love Baker for his consistent great skill with first time actors and that singular but versatile niche. Much less popular but far more of a specialty audience only item was the debut of Agnes Varda's delightful new documentary Faces Places which Murtada reviewed.
What did you see this weekend? Apart from Blade Runner 2049 (which, more soon) I had a theater weekend taking in "The Play That Goes Wrong" on Broadway and a very wacky very naked modern dance performance inspired by the films of Almodovar. No, really!
Reader Comments (29)
Saw Blade Runner 2049. Completely unnecessary movie. Overly long for no particular reason than the director wanted to abuse their privilege of final cut with a bloated running time. Beautiful to look at. Art Direction, Cinematography, Visual Effects, and Score should be a given come Nomination Morning.
I've been a #31DaysOfHalloween horror marathon where I watch one horror film a day. Some I've watched include HUSH, the 1932 version of THE MUMMY, and an hour long film called "Sick Girl" which depicts a lesbian couple (rarity in the horror genre) whose relationship gets interfered by a mysterious bug.
Haven't been able to go to the movies this weekend but I am planning on checking out BLADE RUNNER 2049 very soon.
Blade Runner, really enjoyed it. Not perfect, but undoubtedly wonderful. The age of AI is at our doorstep. I'd like to disagree that this movie is unnecessary.
Victoria & Abdul fun and lightweight, enjoyed it, needs to stay away from Oscar though!
by the way The Beguiled has grossed more than $27 million with the potential to reach $30 million. It's a particularly huge hit in France, Italy, and Spain. Are there still people in the crowd who are trying to call it a flop?
Sorely disappointed by Blade Runner. The original is a masterpiece, this was beautiful to look at with some intoxicating scenes but was overly long and story was not great. I’d give it a C+ which is terribly disappointing.
Blade Runner 2049, man it was incredible. See it on the big screen. If Deakins doesn't win Best Cinematography, then fuck the Oscars.
I saw Body of Evidence with Madonna and a pre stardom Julianne Moore,Wind River with a should be Oscar Nominated Jeremy Renner and a what the was she doing Elizabeth Olsen plus Daryl Hannah in The Final Terror and the 7th film I think in the Child's Play serious which was horrendous with a where'd her career go Jennifer Tilly.
I watched an old James Cagney western, The Oklahoma Kid, on DVD with my Dad. Fun fun fun. Cagney was amazing, as ever; Bogart was nicely slimy as the villain.
Saw both The Florida Project and Blade Runner 2049. Both a feast for the eyes. Must watch in theaters.
Blade Runner 2049...it was okay. I think you have to be a REALLY big Sci-Fi fan to truly love it. The rest will appreciate it for the craft (beautiful visuals, etc.) but halfway through, I stopped caring for the story and had absolutely no emotional connection to the characters. A friend of mine, a big Sci-Fi fan, suggested that this is normal with Sci-Fi movies, as they're more about world-building and what-if concepts.
With the exception of a few, Children of Men, Her, Eternal Sunshine, District 9, for example, Sci-Fi remains my least favorite genre, the one that simply doesn't do it for me, regardless of how much I may appreciate the cinematic craft on display and/or thinking about some of the ideas after I leave the theater. For me, a film is about the actual experience of watching, not the interesting conversations you might have AFTER watching.
That's why I though the experience watching The Florida Project was more memorable and moving.
I saw Columbus and thought it was wonderful ... it made me think more about architecture and why I respond to certain buildings. Haley Lu Richardson's performance was just lovely.
I also saw two A+ films for the first time... Dodsworth by William Wyler and Daughters of the Dust. Dodsworth was the rare '30s melodrama that kept me guessing about the plot until the end, and Daughters of the Dust had completely spectacular imagery.
I wonder how many people stayed away from Blade Runner 2049 because it was almost 3 hours long. That definitely contributed to my decision, and it wasn't the first movie I avoided because I suspected its running time was excessive. The original clocked in at under 2 hours.
I have absolutely no wish to go see Blade Runner 2049. I'll go, but not right away.
I saw "Kingsman and the Golden Circle" a loud live action cartoon which works as long as you don't think too much. There were a lot of trailers glorifying gun use " Death Wish", " The Foreigner" and " The Commuter" with current event still fresh in mind it was uncomfortable to watch specially the vigilante glorifying "Death Wish"
I disagree with Joseph's sci-fi friend the truly great science fiction films make you care about the characters and transcend the genre.
Dennis Villeneuve has always been over rated and self indulgent.
I felt very guilty dragging my friend to go see blade runner. Great actors and production values but terrible script. I would have seen anything Villeneuve after Sicario and esp. Arrival. He’s burned up quite a bit of that good will here.
Also there is NO reason that movie had to be that long. That was also a nasty surprise I didn’t realize til I was stuck in the theater.
Mark my words, critics may like it but word of mouth will be terrible.
I loved Blade Runner. Well-made, stylish and carried by another great stoic performance from Ryan Gosling. It has a more resonant and coherent story than the original. It would be great if Roger Deakins finally wins for this.
Jaragon: Look, I do think people are probably a little too antsy over a lot of these. The US Mass Shooters are people too cracked to care who they're shooting, where that hyper intentionality is the entire point of something like Taken or The Punisher. They might have been hurt by something, but they're not rabid dogs inflicting violence on randoms. Mass shooters are Alex DeLarge with guns, not Frank Castle. And, yes, both US gun control AND US Mental Health need severe overhauling. Now, as far as Villeneuve? I'd agree he's a bit overrated and I'd agree he absolutely indulges SOMEONE too much and needs to control them more, but it's Deakins, not himself. But that runs into the problem that calling a director "overrated and Deakins indulgent" makes very little sense to someone who hasn't seen the movies.
Volgavia: I do want to see "Blade Runner 2049" so perhaps I was a bit harsh on Villenueve. Guns have always existed in cinema all the way back to "The Great Train Robbery" (1904)
@Suzanne - I don't know who you are or where you are, but I love love love you for mentioning Dodsworth. It's really a great gem of an oldie.
suzanne - DODSWORTH is one of my favorite movies of all time and i never hear anyone talking about it so so glad to read that you loved it.
I saw The Florida Project, which totally snuck up on me by the end. I thought it was fine, well-done but the plotlessness was kind of wearying... and then, the last 5-10 minutes happened, and I was absolutely breathless. So, SO well-done.
I'm not ashamed to say that I went and watched My Little Pony the Movie three times!
Nat and CharlieG - Thanks! It's on Filmstruck now, if anyone else wants to check it out. I was impressed by the fact that Wyler presented us with a fairly unlikable female character without any trace of misogyny, which is rare for that period.
I saw Blade Runner 2046, which I really liked. I liked the original film also, but thought the two films were very different. The 1982 film was like the fear of a dystopia to come, while the 2017 film seems to tap into the resignation and sadness of a dystopia that is already here.
I admired the meditative melancholy of the direction, and thought Ryan Gosling's performance was elegant, soulful, and extremely moving.
I didn't find it long, but any movie that gives me a justification to get out of the house on a family get-together holiday weekend -- I would have gone to see "Berlin Alexanderplatz".
Saw BATTLE OF THE SEXES Friday night and BLADE RUNNER 2049 last night - enjoyed them both, though BLADE RUNNER is the one I'm still thinking about. It wasn't perfect, I would say not as good as the original, but more because it doesn't reinvent the genre the way the original did. The original Blade Runner was so much its own thing, whereas 2049 seems to be quoting not just the first movie but so much of its indirect legacy, movies like Her, A.I., even The Matrix, so not sure it really finds its own unique identity. But my god, the thing is gorgeous - some of the set pieces are unforgettable for sure - and Gosling and Ford are both really, really good. Ford, especially, does some of the best work of his career in one pivotal scene.
Never made it to the theater but saw The Treasure of Sierra Madre which at first I thought was kinda...fine...but then found myself really wrapped up in. Bogart, Huston and especially Holt were all great. Never really noticed Holt in other movies of his I've seen but he was so simple and soulful here that I immediately looked him up to see what else he'd done. He reminded me of a quieter, more direct Chris Pratt (in a good way, I swear).
I watched Mother’s Day, which was very bad!
I rewatched Down With Love and Things to Come, which are both so great.
I saw a special screening of The Square, which was amazing! It may very well be my favourite of the year. (Definitely the best Palme d’or Winner since Blue is the Warmest Colour).
Blade Runner 2049 is long, sexist and boring!
Saw STRONGER and TE ATA which I both liked. The former made me finally get around to EVEREST and ENEMY the continue the Jake Gyllenhaal love, and the latter made me happy to see Q'orianka Kilcher still doing films.
Roger: Which Mother's Day? 1980, 2010 or 2016? All of them would conceivably produce that reaction.
Saw Battle of the Sexes and absolutely loved it. Surprised to not see it getting more shout outs here in the comments (also kind of surprised at the middling critical reception and slow box office so far). The best performance Emma Stone has given to-date. It's by no means a perfect movie but it's extremely crowd pleasing and easy to get into/root for. Would be surprised if it doesn't get lots of nominations comes award time (especially Golden Globes in the comedy categories!).