by Nathaniel R
| Weekend Box Office (Jan 5th-7th) |
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| W I D E 800+ screens |
L I M I T E D excluding prev. wide |
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| 1. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle $36 (cum. $244.3) |
1.🔺 I Tonya $2.4 on 242 screens (cum. $5.2) REVIEW | GLOBE SURPRISE? |
| 2. 🔺 Insidious The Last Key $29.2 (cum. $212.1) | 2.🔺 The Post $1.7 on 36 screens (cum. $3.8) REVIEW | OSCAR KICK-OFF PODCAST |
| 3. The Last Jedi $23.5 (cum. $572.5) LYNN'S REVIEW | NATHANIEL'S TAKE |
3. Call Me By... $758k on 117 screens (cum. $6) REVIEWISH | SCREENPLAY | SEX |
| 4. The Greatest Showman $13.8 (cum. $75.9) REVIEW | ZAC ATTACK | ZENDAYA | 4.🔺 Hostiles $310k on 46 screens (cum. $435k) |
| 5. Pitch Perfect 3 $10.2 (cum. $85.9) REVIEW |
5.🔺 Along with the Gods $280k on 35 screens ($1.1) |
One thing that we're always forcefully reminded of each holiday season -- since we tend to forget -- is that the whole world is not, in point of fact, thinking about Oscar buzz. Each year countless films casually ring up rather large box office returns without generating any "heat" in award season and some not even being part of that game. Insidious for example had the weekend to itself in terms of new wide releases and was rewarded for it. The Greatest Showman, is another one that isn't really banking on Oscar love. The musical's global gross has already doubled its budget (though given the P&A expenditures it's probably got some ways to go before a profit still)...
Family options Ferdinand and especially Jumanji have done very well for themselves, too, with Oscars being the last thing on their mind... though Best Animated Feature is cloudy enough as to who is competing that Ferdinand could be there in the end.
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| 6. Ferdinand $7.7 (cum. $70.4) | 6. 🔺 Phantom Thread $245k on 6 screens (cum. $951k) |
| 7. 🔺 Molly's Game $7 (cum. $14.2) | 7. Ex-File 3 $170k on 17 screens (cum. $511k) |
| 8. 🔺 Darkest Hour $6.3 (cum. $28.3) CAPSULE | SECOND VISIT |
8. Youth $75k on 30 screens ($1.8) |
| 9. Coco $5.5 (cum. $192) REVIEW | FEELING SEEN | 9. Loving Vincent $64k on 58 screens ($6.4) REVIEW |
| 10. All the Money in the The World $3.5 ($20.1) REVIEW | 10. Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool $24k on 4 screens (cum. $83k) |
🔺 = new or significant expansion numbers (in millions unless otherwise noted) from box office mojo |
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Some Oscar players do successfully take advantage of Christmas/New Years buzz season (it's crucial since AMPAS members are voting rightnow on their nominations) but not as many as you'd expect. Molly's Game and I Tonya smartly added lots of screens just as voting began and both have been rewarded for being aggressive and showing their hands.
But The Post, Phantom Thread, and Call Me By Your Name, for example, are all playing things much more timidly like Oscar is still a clear game of 'release in tiny doses in December and wait around in until February' which it hasn't actually been in for about, oh, 12 years or so now. This seems like a major mistake in the cases of Phantom Thread and Call Me By Your Name. They could both be rescued by high nomination counts or key marketable nominations like Best Picture or Best Actor but it's risky because if those nominations don't materialize audience are likely to lose interest quick. There's a world of difference in the ease of marketing the intangible of being "a contender" versus trying to push the fact obstacle properties that fall under the "look at this prestige drama that Oscar didn't go for!" umbrella.
As for The Post we won't see if their 'hide the goods' game is smart until Oscar night itself. The freedom of press drama is only at 36 screens but packing houses. Still, they have the luxury of bankable A list stars and the world's most famous director, all of whom can open movies outside of Oscar's season or its favor (should the worst come to pass) so they can afford the risk. They'll make good movie eventually so Fox is clearly banking on trying to earn the bulk of their grosses WHILE winning statues rather than using the release to convince the world of its prize-worthiness.
WHAT DID YOU SEE THIS WEEKEND?
Having just recovered from a nasty two week Christmas flu I've finally emerged into the bitter bitter chill of this terrible winner and am cramming in last minute screenings -- hence the delays on my own top ten. While sick I screened The Wound, Disaster Artist, The Last Jedi a second time, and Princess Cyd and, now, having regained human form from the virus-filled phlegmscape I was trapped in, I just caught Novititate and Phantom Thread. (I still have about 4 films I feel I really have to screen before drawing up my awards.) The clear winner among the five I saw was Princess Cyd which made me cry buckets, the cathartic grace-filled kind of tears no less. I just loved it so please do seek it out for home viewing.
ICYMI
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