What did you see over the weekend?
Monday, October 15, 2018 at 8:00PM by Nathaniel R
Venom and A Star is Born remained strong for a second weekend leaving much less to go around for First Man, Goosebumps 2, and Bad Times at the El Royale though it's still a stronger October at the box office than the past two years have been...
| Weekend Box Office (October 12-14) |
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| W I D E 800+ screens |
PLATFORM / LIMITED excluding prev. wide |
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| 1. 🔺 Venom $35 (cum. $142.1) |
1. 🔺 The Hate U Give $1.7 on 248 screens (cum. $2.4) |
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| 2. A Star is Born $28.4 (cum. $94.6) Review, Posterized |
2. 🔺Gosnell: The Trial of... $1.1 *NEW * on 673 screens |
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| 3. 🔺 First Man $16 NEW Capsule Review |
3. 🔺 Colette $999k on 593 screens (cum. $2.5) Capsule |
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| 4. 🔺 Goosebumps 2 $15.8 NEW | 4. Old Man and the Gun $917k on 228 screens (cum. $1.7) Review |
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| 5. Smallfoot $9 (cum. $57.3) Warner Animation |
5. 🔺 Free Solo $890k on 129 screens (cum. $2.1) |
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| 6. Night School $7.7 (cum. $59.5) |
6. 🔺 The Sisters Brothers $263k on 129 screens (cum. $1) Review |
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| 7. 🔺 Bad Times at the El Royale $7.1 NEW Review |
7. 🔺 Beautiful Boy $218k on 4 screens NEW |
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| 8. The House with the Clock... $3.8 (cum. $62.1) |
8. The Wife $206k on 201 screens (cum. $7.2) Review, Blurb, Best Actress |
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| 9. The Nun $1.3 (cum. $115.9) Nun Movies |
9. 🔺Jane and Emma $122k on 21 screens NEW |
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| 10. A Simple Favor $1.3 (cum. $51.9) Nun Movies Capsule |
10. 🔺 Tea With the Dames $89k on 64 screens (cum. $292k) |
| 🔺 = new or expanding theater count numbers (in millions unless otherwise noted) from box office mojo |
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A few more key noteworthy items:
• There were several small releases this weekend that didn't make the top ten in limited: The Happy Prince, Bigger, The Oath, and Charm City, Stella's Last Weekend, Liyana, Over the Limit, all of which made under $40k
• The Hate U Give goes wide next weekend but has been performing very very well in limited release, which is good news for rising star Amandla Sternberg who is only 19 but was headlining three films this year (the other two, The Darkest Minds and Where Hands Touch, flopped).
• Old Man and the Gun, Robert Redford's swansong is getting a big expansion next weekend too, though not quite wide, after performing well in very limited release
• If you're wondering what Jane & Emma is, that's a new Mormon film about one of the first African-American members of the LDS church so its screens are presumably all out west.
• Beautiful Boy starring Timothée Chalamet got off to a strong start in NY and LA with the weekend's highest per screen average by far. (That said it's half as much as Call Me By Your Name made in its first weekend on the same amount of screens. The question is will it expand better or be more bold about it? Call Me By Your Name took its sweet time expanding and many people argued that that hurt the picture)
• We The Animals inched over $400,000 this week but at only 3 theaters and barely selling tickets now it will surely be its last week in theaters. Pity it didn't catch on because what a great memoir adaptation that was. Every person who wants more films about LGBT people and POC really ought to have seen it.
• It's been tough going for foreign films in release (their piece of the box office puzzle seems to shrink every single year). Several of the submissions for the Oscar this year are in theaters currently: Israel's The Cakemaker, the UK's I Am Not a Witch, Iran's No Date No Signature, and France's Memoir of War butmost of them are struggling to even reach $100k in revenue. The notable exception is The Cakemaker which has been a success in arthouses but it looks like it will fall short of breaking the $1 million mark -- still, a valiant effort considering its grossed $861,000 over the past 16 weeks in theaters.
WHAT DID YOU SEE THIS WEEKEND?
Reader Comments (32)
Saw First Man...what a movie. And that flag controversy is so so silly.
https://italianimposter.com/2018/10/15/first-man/
A Star is Born should be able to overtake Venom by next week
What Tr said.
Saw both FIRST MAN and THE HATE U GIVE. Both hit me hard, in good ways. Still thinking about both of them.
I saw First Man which left me cold throughout most of it. Well made on the tech side (production design, score and cinematography are deserving of award nods) but Neil isn't interesting enough of a character to center a 2 hr movie. The quiet patriotism running through its veins also bothered me. I'm sure producers are bummed there was a backlash from conservatives.
The last scene was surprisingly touching though. An intimate ending for an otherwise clinical film.
Foy was quite good and I appreciate what felt like Singer making an effort to have her more involved in the story than the "supportive wife" usually gets.
Is it still a best pic contender after an underperforming debut?
Uhhh...what's wrong with quiet patriotism? It's the loud kind that turns into nationalism.
No new releases (although I'll be seeing both First Man and A Star is Born in the next few days), although I did catch Gilda for the first time last night. It's a strange movie - especially that third act - but Hayworth's performance is great. She defiant and impulsive in ways that almost seem to surprise herself. It was a surprise, given that people tend to focus on the performance's overt sexuality.
A couple of first-timers in From Prada to Nada (terrible film) and First Man (awesome film).
Finally caught up with some 2018 releases (please excuse my indulgence):
Sorry to Bother You: The first half was very clever and absorbing; I liked the way Boots Riley's script kept the film grounded in this alternate version of Oakland whilst still keeping the satire sharp (Stanfield's "rap" at the party being hilarious and absolutely cringeworthy at the same time). However, the big reveal felt like it belonged in a completely different movie, and the satire got a little too on the nose in the second half almost feeling amateurish. It's been a few days and I'm still thinking about it, so there is that. As an aside I will say that Forest Whitaker's non-chalant line-reading of "Yo Equisapiens...we out" made me laugh harder than any other scene I've seen this year.
First Man: the craft on display here was absolutely ridiculous; it actually felt like more of a documentary than a something re-created for film. The camerawork, like Chazelle's previous features, was again a strong point; a good mix of formal techniques mixed in with hand-held shots (loved that POV shot of Gosling ejecting from the test lander right before it exploded). And of course Hurwitz score was once again fantastic. Unfortunately, the movie was brought down by the lack of interest in the central characters relationship. Both Whiplash and La La Land had strong relationships between the main characters that helped drive the narrative forward whilst this movie was more of a character study, but Neil Armstrong didn't seem like an interesting enough person to build an entire movie around. Also after all the buildup towards landing on the moon, that particular sequence (although great in composition) felt a little rushed.
The Sisters Brothers: Great cinematography, great performances by the four main characters, great script but I couldn't help but feel let down by the ending. The entire tone of the movie felt to be very nihilistic, so I was taken aback by the sanguine quality of its ending. It almost felt like Audiard shot a different ending more in line where the story was going but at the last second decided against it; felt tacked on to be honest.
First Reformed: Wow. I'm glad there are still people out there making movies like these that ask hard questions and don't provide easy answers. I'd be shocked if Hawke's performance doesn't get nomiinated for an Oscar; his is the best male performance I've seen thus far this year. Still not sure what was going on with that ending though; I'm gonna have to re-watch this one sometime down the road.
Been prepping for Halloween with some oldies:
The Old Dark House (1932) - surprisingly queer-centric
The Uninvited (1944) - underrated
Dead of Night (1946) - outstanding and creepy
House on Haunted Hill (1959) - entertaining but not so creepy
I watched the Jane Fonda documentary and strangely, it made me dislike her. She was half-baked and it’s full of dreary navel gazing pop psychology. They barely focus on her acting.
And people know right that we never really went to the moon? To this day, science has not figured out how to travel through the Van Allen belts. You can thank Stanley Kubrick for those fake films developed in 1969-72.
I was SHOCKED by how much I loved First Man. I really did love it. I appreciated that they took the tone of the whole thing from Neil Armstrong's personality and how he had to become more machine and less human in order to survive the difficult flights he was part of (from being a test pilot to being an astronaut), and how that affected him. The use of IMAX was brilliant - actually everything about the Apollo mission was perfect. Claire Foy was great too, adding a lot to the character that wasn't there on the page. I'm a bit confused by the lukewarm box office this weekend - my screening was full and everyone applauded at the end.
Also saw Bad Times at the El Royale, to which I can only co-sign Chris's review here on the site. A real disappointment despite an electric performance from Hemsworth.
Saw A STAR IS BORN which I liked. Didn’t love it as much as I hoped, but perhaps I will when I see it again.
Also, thanks for the little tidbit on WE THE ANIMALS. Such a wonderful film that I wish had caught on more, but I’m amazed it even reached $400K which is still quite an achievement, marking it The Orchard’s tenth highest grossing film.
First Man basically have the same weekend performance as Bridge of Spies. I think it is in perfectly ok position to get similar nominations (Foy instead of Rylance, Gosling snubbed like Hanks?) as long as it has a good hold next weekend.
Didn't see any of the new releases but I saw two foreign-language films in the theaters:
The Poet and the Boy is a debut film of a South Korean filmmaker Yim Yang-hee. It is about a poet finding poetic inspirations from all shades of murky relationships from his wife, poet-colleagues, a childhood friend and a mysterious working-class boy - equal parts Tadzio in Death in Venice and Carlos in Star Maps but there's a lot of class-related issues in store here. At times cringe-worthy, other times deliciously funny, the film's frankness with crisis in approaching-middle age-masculinity is refreshing and also uncomfortable. The ending has a resolution that did not do it for me and maybe I need to watch it again to appreciate it but I don't think I want to see it anytime soon.
Las Herederas is a slow-burn drama from Paraguayan filmmaker Marcelo Martinessi. The story is an insider's glimpse of aging women in a domestic relationship whose lives are upended when one of them goes to jail. How the fragile of the two women coped with this situation allowed Martinessi to explore age, class, privilege and working-class labor with compelling results. Ana Brun is outstanding by playing minor chords subtly and heartbreakingly. She reminded me of the actresses as diverse as Kristin Scott-Thomas in I've Loved You So Long, Norma Aleandro in The Official Story and Fernanda Montenegro in Central Station. The audience is privy to the imperceptible shifts in emotional gears Brun's Chela undertake. I love the ending -- it is like an ending in any Kelly Reichardt films: open-ended but can provoke unexpected tears.
Owl: That's a great summation of Les Herederas, which I have seen but haven't known how to discuss.
Saw A Star Is Born. Even if I loved it, don't get the raves about it. Lady Gaga does a decent job, the music helps a lot, but she is not very good. When the music does not help, the last song is terrible and does not fit for example, the movie suffers, the ending has lots of problems.
I am surprised at the love for First Man here. I appreciated a lot of the technical aspects of the film. I appreciated that Chazelle didn't over-do the effects. The moon landing scene is surprisingly tame (to Chazelle's credit). And the movie is not your typical hero worship (again, kudos).
But the movie did not connect for me for any emotional level. The first hour was so cold and unfeeling that I just stopped caring. Those close-up scenes in the cockpit didn't read claustrophobia or peril to me. They were just ... there. Flashing lights, close-ups, 1960s Doctor Who sound effects. I got what they were trying to convey about 5 minutes in. I didn't need an hour to get it.
The second half was better, but not much better for me. I got the sense that they never really got deep into or even wanted to get deep into who Neil and Janet were. Instead, the movie just plodded along until the next Ryan Gosling close up.
No movies but I binged season 2 of The Good Place. Michael Schur is the Norman Lear of our time.
@Edward L.
I admit Las Herederas was not an easy film to watch because the opening scenes did not invite the audience to fully grasp what's going on. The fact that the POV is akin to spying, I wasn't sure what relationship exist between Chela and Chiqui, and why the latter even appears cheerful as she faces jail time. Ana Brun's Chela is (at least initially) hard to read. It's only halfway through the story that, like Isabelle Huppert in almost all of her films, her inner thoughts manifest in the tiniest of details: side glances at Carmela, the wary authority she has over the househelp Pati, and the way she looks at herself in the mirror framed in longshot. The deliberately slow pace allowed me to focus on what Chela is thinking through her actions. Especially the little humiliations she faced in her 'new' job, and how she takes them all in but also dodges them at the same time -- which is difficult to pull off wordlessly but Ana Brun's non-showy performance made me believe she is really Chela who used to be an entitled heredera.
Cold War. Call me crazy, but I think the Academy will love it.
@Peggy Sue
You may be right. I won't be surprised if instead of Yalitza Aparicio in the final 5 actress lineup, Joanna Kulig sneaks in. A genuine longshot for sure but not impossible, no.
Watched:
Bad times at the el royale
Goosebumps haunted Halloween
Lord of the rings trilogy
Superman the movie
Goldeneye
Hell raiser
Robin Hood prince of thieves
I saw A Star Is Born a second time because I wanted to see if it held up. I liked it even better the second time (it seemed like it was designed to be appreciated a second time; there were definitely a few Easter eggs in the film for eagle-eyed viewers).
I also caught up on a few documentaries that have been making awards shortlists - Reversing Roe, Crime + Punishment, and Minding the Gap. All are worthwhile, but Minding the Gap was my favorite. A remarkably self-assured narrative documentary for a first-time filmmaker. It's nice to see a film about the Rust Belt that may upend some people's expectations.
A Star is Born last night. Meh. Maybe I wasn't in the mood? May do a rewatch later.
Saw Lady Gaga on Graham Norton too. Maybe she was just nervous, but I thought she was kind of bitchy. Really turned me off because it's not the first time she's acted like that in interviews, and people are usually so great on his show. Jodie Whitaker, on the other hand, was adorable.
@Tom Ford - saw the Jane Fonda bio too. Have mixed feelings, but Jane has had a multi-faceted life; acting is only one part of it. I did laugh out loud when she said "doing a love scene with Sam Elliott at my age is pretty great" or something to that effect.
I was astounded at FIRST MAN. I mean yes, I did see it in IMAX and WOW that moon landing/walk scene was incredible. I was also impressed at how touching I felt the whole film was.
I also saw BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE and I wished it was more tightly edited and cut 20-30 minutes from the final film. It was lacking urgency. BUT Cynthia Erivo (and Chris' torso) are perfection.
I saw First Man. I agree with other commentators that it left me cold. It was technically proficient but I had no emotional tie to it.
First Man's biggest flaw is that it can't overcome its main character's stoicism to make it an involving film. Gosling is terrific as Armstrong, but the other figures in the film can't bring out the humanity in him, even a fine Claire Foy as Armstrong's wife. The film's look is impressive. The visuals feel like we are watching original footage at times, and the Gemini 8 sequence is gripping. Surprisingly, the Apollo 11 mission feels a bit of a letdown. Maybe because everything seemed to go well but the mission lacked the grandeur I was expecting. As for nominations, Gosling for best actor is a possibility as well as technical nominations for editing, art direction, costume, score, sound.
Thanks, Owl. I really appreciate your views. If makes me want to see the movie again.
Also saw FIRST MAN. Also was impressed with it technically, but left cold by it emotionally. He might be a Man's Man, but Armstrong SPOILER FOR REAL LIFE EVENTS>>>>>>> loses his daughter and friend in the film and... eh.
Technically, though, it will deserve the sound nomination
Saw MOMMIE DEAREST for the first time in a theatre, which I think is a great film. Not “not so bad it’s good”... just great! It’s one of the few truly good biopics.
Then on FilmStruck, I watched Lily Baldwin’s SWALLOWED, which was embarrassing. So bad.
Watched Brian De Palma’s SISTERS, which was wonderful.
I also watched 1932’s THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME, which was an attractive 63 minutes long! Apparently a favourite film of the Zodiac killer, which makes plenty sense.
And I saw FIRST MAN, which frankly sucked. So sloppy, even boring and hard to follow for loooooooong stretches. There’s weird Tree of Life cosplay. Claire Foy is pretty bad, but the Academy should love her alliterated Oscar clip and when she throws the suitcase. Lol. I’m a little surprised by its glowing reviews.
I saw "Venom" and enjoyed it- I was expecting a disaster but it's funny horror action comedy- Tom Hardy is goofy, the FX are good and it was not as pretentious as the other recent Marvel movies. I agree with Roger on both "The Most Dangerous Game " and DePalma's "Sisters"
Eighth grade. Infuriantingly bland. Non impressive in the slightest. I hate every crític who raved so unfairly about this movie.