Tiffany on Top. What did you see?
Sunday, September 30, 2018 at 1:05PM by Nathaniel R
A quick perusal of this weekend's top movies in wide (left) and limited (right) release. Commentary after the jump...
| Weekend Box Office Estimates (September 28th-30th) |
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| W I D E 800+ screens |
PLATFORM / LIMITED excluding prev. wide |
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| 1. 🔺 NIGHT SCHOOL $28 *NEW* |
1. THE WIFE $777K on 437 screens (cum. $6.1) Review, Poster Blurb, Glenn's Oscar |
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| 2. 🔺 SMALLFOOT $23 *NEW* Warner Animation Movies |
2. 🔺LITTLE WOMEN $747k on 643 screens |
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| 3. THE HOUSE WITH THE CLOCK IN ITS WALLS $12.5 (cum. $44.7) |
3. 🔺 COLETTE $418k on 38 screens (cum. $638k) |
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| 4. A SIMPLE FAVOR $6.6 (cum. $43) |
4. 🔺FREE SOLO $300k on 4 screens *NEW* |
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| 5. THE NUN $5.4 (cum. $109) Nun Movies |
5. 🔺 THE SISTERS BROTHERS $244k on 27 screens (cum. $404k) Review |
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| 6. 🔺 HELLFEST $5 *NEW* |
6. 🔺 OLD MAN AND THE GUN $150k on 5 screens *NEW* Review |
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| 7. CRAZY RICH ASIANS $4.1 (cum. $165.6) Review, Yeoh, Podcast, Best of Summer Lists |
7. 🔺 MONSTERS AND MEN $130k on 18 screens *NEW* |
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| 8. THE PREDATOR $3.7 (cum. $47.6) |
8. 🔺 BLAZE $96k on 89 screens (cum. $578k) |
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| 9. WHITE BOY RICK $2.3 (cum. $21.7) |
9. LIZZIE $89k on 206 screens (cum. $546k) Review |
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| 10. PEPPERMINT $1.7 (cum. $33.5) | 10. 🔺 PICK OF THE LITTER $74 on 63 screens (cum. $366k) |
| 🔺 = new or expanding theater count numbers (in millions unless otherwise noted) from box office mojo |
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A few thoughts...
Night School, capitalizing on Kevin Hart's solid bankability and current Tiffany Haddish mania, met enthusiastic crowds in its opening weekend but critics think it's terrible. How well it hold in its second weekend? That depends on whether audiences are laughing along with it.
Glenn Close's star vehicle The Wife continues its impressive stranglehold on specialty theater box office. It's been open for 7 weeks now and for the past 5 it's finished in the top three every time, and usually at #1.
National Geographic's Free Solo movie, about a death-defying climb of El Capitan had the strongest per screen average of the week, immediately announcing itself as another documentary hit in a very healthy year for audience interest in documentary films.
Robert Redford's swan song Old Man and the Gun had a solid first weekend and Sisters Brothers and Colette had good second weekends so provided these films generate good word of mouth they should be able to play for a while given that adult audiences tend to take a bit more convincing to get to the movies.
Opening outside the top ten the M.I.A. documentary Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. (Glenn raved about it here) had a strong showing in just two theaters, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead's much-lauded leading performance (which Jason raved about when it was on the festival circuit) in All About Nina opened in just 4 theaters
WHAT DID YOU SEE THIS WEEKEND?
Reader Comments (39)
Uh, shouldn't Little Women's culminated number be switched with its box office at this weekend number?
Chris - copy/paste error. fixed.
I saw ‘a simple favour’. I thought it was fucking stupid.
Choog -- WHAA? I loved it.
Yeah, sorry but I wanted to leave a quarter way through. Those ‘twists’are so contrived they don’t count as twists. Anna Kendrick does play drink well tho
Colette is pleasurable if a little too tidy. I liked that it was adult with varied sexuality shown but it only lets Keira Knightly scratch the surface of how complicated this woman was. It’s pretty and Dominic West is very good.
I watched a couple of episodes of Maniac and liked it because of direction and Emma Stone, but I get how some people would find it too odd. I like odd.
A couple of first-timers in Pitch Perfect 3 and a version of Mr. Arkadin known as Confidential Report and a re-watch of Tomorrow Never Dies.
I saw Night School. Not terrible yet still not very good. I'm sure Kevin Hart fans will love it, though.
I decided to have a bit of a movie-lovers weekend, finally getting Song to Song & Toni Erdmann done, as they've been my Netflix DVD's for far too long, and then re-watching Bridesmaids and Moana (both hold up, though I prefer Spy to Bridesmaids at this point).
I rewatched Dolores Claiborne, The House Bunny and The Avengers: Infinity War
Dolores is still a really great movie. I find it hard to believe that neither Bates or Jason-Leigh were not consider for a GG, SAG or Oscar or rewarded by the critics. I havent seen it since 1996 so it was like watching it for the first time
The House Bunny is such a guilty pleasure. And it is so hilarious!!
The Avengers: Infinity War was on while I was doing my laundry and cooking dinner
John T: How was Song to Song?
I keep hearing "no one is seeing The Wife" but it's already at $6 million without ever going above 550 screens. It only dropped 12% from last weekend! I think if it cracks $10 that's a solid enough showing for Close to at least hold onto the nomination without snickers or eyerolls.
I watched Cabin in the Woods with my husband last night and it holds up super well! Such a fun time.
I finally watched Disobedience. What a strong piece of filmmaking. I was literally blown away by all the three leads. It's amazing how Lelio shifts the focus from Weisz to McAdams to Nivola and lets the audience enter the heart of each character. I hope these wonderful performances will not be completely forgotten at the end of the season.
@Tom Ford:not a big surprise, Dominic West is always very good
I saw the filmed version of the Broadway musical, “An American in Paris”. Now I have a crush on Robert Fairchild, Leanne Cope, Christopher Wheeldon (Max Von Essen didn’t play Henri in the version I saw).
It reminded me of the story of the Hollywood producer who, years ago, saw a young Australian named Hugh Jackman in a London production of “Oklahoma”, and she said to herself “Yes! Finally! What a find!”
Now I feel a little aggrieved when I look at many upcoming movies, and think, why are you still showing me these same old actors that I’ve never actually found attractive or interesting, when you could be showing me Robert Fairchild?
I'm already fantasizing with Glenn's Oscar gown.
A black Armani? I hope she keeps the hair very short and very white. She should try wearing white more often -Judi Dench looked amazing in white- or maybe she should wear that beautiful green again.
I saw Smallfoot and was shocked by how much I enjoyed it. I think it's a serious dark horse contender for Animated Feature.
Saw The Predator, and it was bad. Not terrible, but still bad.
I am watching Maniac, too. I probably would not have stuck with it if it weren't for Emma Stone, but she is so good. It's amazing to see how she has grown as an actress so quickly. I know Olivia Colman is the standout in The Favourite, but I am very eager to see Stone as well.
I also rewatched Auntie Mame. Such a great performance from the wonderful Rosalind Russell that should have been rewarded by the Academy, but of course they didn't consider her comedic skills "real acting" in the face of Susan Hayward's histrionics (oh, she's fine).
The Wife. As a film I don't think I could quite call it good (those flashback sequences...do not work for me, despite some admirable heavy lifting from Elizabeth McGovern) but I'm not surprised to see it doing well. If you're looking to spend an hour and a half watching a genius at work, you won't be disappointed.
Suzanne -- Stone is terrific in THE FAVOURITE! i mean the whole cast is terrific, really. I just saw Friday and am thinking about it constantly
I bought Beetlejuice on DVD. My older girl cousins took me to see it because the other movie my aunt and big brother saw was even scarier with an R rating.
Rewatched Incendies by Denis Villeneuve. Still strong and never dated. Lubna Azabal has a fierceness to her acting even in quiet moments -- magnetic. Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin was also effective as the daughter. The story's Oedipus Rex theme convincingly embeds itself in the bi-continental flow of the narrative. Villeneuve's effective storytelling hinges on the slow unpeeling of narrative plots as it builds to its almost operatic intensity. Destruction by fire indeed. I plan to see Villeneuve's earlier films -- I found his understanding of melancholy onscreen very touching and cathartic. Even in that scary Prisoners.
Rewatched WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF, still a masterclass, Mike Nichols is such a strong director , I mean, The Graduate, Closer, Angels in America....the man has always been on fire, and ELIZABETH TAYLOR never was she any better than in this one, she outshines her co-stars , although her character is the meanest in the film, she manages that we still feel compassion for her at the end. Also revisited CASINO, still a complex, multilayered, beautifully directed by Martin Scorsese, it is a masterpiece of destruction and betrayal and SHARON STONE comes of with all the acting credit, she simply effervesces as the gold digging casino hustler, Ginger. What a terrific performance. Still think She was very much robbed of her deserved Oscar. On TV finished (and loved ) Castle Rock.
To everyone who’s seen A Gaga Is Born: It’s probably a given that she’s got the Best Original Song Oscar locked up, but I’m curious to know which tune stands out as the clear frontrunner. As someone who hasn’t seen it, I’d say “Shallows” simply for the fact that they spotlight it in the trailer and for a trailer I’ve only seen twice, it’s an earworm.
Saw The Sisters Brothers and found it uneven. The tonal shifts are jarring, it's not sure who's stories its telling and it seems to really, really empathize very strongly with these two brothers who just can't seem to catch a break that also just happen to be murderers. Phoenix is fantastic, of course, and some of it is beautifully shot, but it's a strange experience.
Saw Julieta and really enjoyed it. I heard (on this site and elsewhere) that it was lesser Almodovar but I found it to be quite engrossing.
And saw Anomalisa which was...fine? It's a strange experience and I had issues with the very straight male sense it's written through (two women just can't help but throw themselves at this out of shape, middle-aged man that they describe as "gorgeous"? Suuuuure.).
Won't You Be My Neighbor? the Mr. Rogers doc. Very sweet and different than I expected. The scene where he invited Office Clemmons (Francois Clemmons) to cool his feet in the little pool (especially since it was in response to horrific racism in public pools at the time) broke my heart. Can't believe that guy was a lifelong Republican.
Episodes of Green Wing, Peep Show and Do You Know Who You Are UK, because I'm in love with Olivia Colman at the moment, and going through her back catalog makes me happy.
Trying to catch up on 2018 films and managed to see A Star is Born, The Wife, Eighth Grade & Three Identical Strangers.
Liked A Star is born because it's impossible to hate the film but I wasn't blown away like it seems most people are. Cooper was indeed great and while I was worried the voice would be distracting but it wasn't and he was incredible.I agree with most that it peaks at Shallow and sort of falls apart in the second half.
The Wife while not a great film does contain and a fantastic turn by Close and I do believe having seen both Close and Gaga so close to each other that Glenn is my personal and predicted winner.
Eighth Grade was wonderful and I was not expecting to connect so much with all of it.
Three Identical Strangers was fine but it continues the trend of documentaries doing good box office business and I'm happy about that.
Nat - I am glad to hear it. I hope Emma gets an Oscar nod to make up for last year.
Why did I never came across this section - how fascinating to read what people are rewatching !
YES "Virginia Woolf - what an acting feast - also loved Sandy Dennis but Taylor was never better ! And Dolores - great idea ! I watched "First Reformed" - Ethan Hawke is fantastic ... but I doubt this will win him an Oscar. As brilliant and haunted this movie is told by Schrader ... it is so horribly depressing - I wasn't expecting this... Geee... it left me with no hope or pleasure or any satisfaction ... just dull pain. Effective but puhhh ! Then I rewatched "Beginners" which made me wonder why Ewan McGregor never EVER has been nominated ? He is absolutely ravishing in this quirky little gem - always humble, absolutely believable but so diverse (Moulin Rouge, Ghost Writer, Jane Got a Gun...) - he's a bit like the modern Jimmy Steward (well he wasn't AS diverse though ... but he got the statue !)
Finally got around to Ocean's Eight. It was fun but like many reviewers said, it was just missing something. It was light but maybe too light. The story could have used more clever plotting and bigger laughs. Still, Sandra was great and Anne definitely stole the movie. Two stars.
I finally saw "A Simple Favor" and my expectations were blown out of the water. I've always found Anna Kendrick to be a grating screen presence, but she's a ROCKSTAR here. Navigating the tone and beats of that character would be a minefield and she elevates the already tremendous writing. It's too genre for awards bodies, but I truly wish she and Blake Lively were being considered (a phrase I never thought I'd find myself saying).
After all the Blake Lively talk, I watched The Town. Her Boston is spot on.
I saw A Star Is Born at a screening in London.
I can see why it’s getting raves, but overall not my cup of tea. The second half of the movie couldn’t compete with that first half. Bradley Cooper was outstanding, I didn’t realise he had that kind of a performance in him.
I wonder if it won’t play as well I’m the UK, it all felt a bit too earnest for UK audiences, we tend to appreciate a bit more irony and cynicism.
Still, I hope it does big money, it was nice to see a grown up Hollywood movie that’s not effects driven, or centred around women being murdered, even if I didn’t personally love this particular one, more of this though please.
Saw The Wife, and yeah, Glenn Close is great in it. The scene near the end, with her husband paying tribute to her at the Nobel Awards ceremony is powerful - she played it sublimely, and without speaking a word. Overall the movie itself is just a solid B for me, but I hope Close gets nominated and wins for her work in it - not just because she's "overdue," but for her actual performance.
Night school Funny, a person with dxylesia gets a second chance at passing his GED. Night school delivers laughs and inspires Kevin Hart to follow his heart.
I saw Dario Argento's " Inferno" (1980) a visually stunning horror fantasia starring Leigh Mcloskey with a porn stache- as musicologist who moves into a very odd building.
@ConMan: I was really surprised by Smallfoot too. Sure, it's pretty cookie-cutter, but it was very charming and a stealth musical too.