Easter Weekend Box Office

Happy Easter. It's the quiet before the Avengers: Endgame storm at the nation's theaters.

Weekend Box Office Estimates April 19th-21st (ESTIMATES) 🔺 = New or Expanded Theater Count /  ★= Recommended
W I D E 800+ screens	PLATFORM / SPECIALTY TITLES excluding wide releases losing screens
Curse of La Llorona	Kalank
1 🔺 Curse of La Llorona  $26.5 *NEW* REVIEW	1🔺 Kalank  $1.2 on 320 screens *NEW*
2 Shazam  $17.3 (cum. $121.3)	2 🔺 Amazing Grace $591k on 188 screens (cum. $1.3)
3 🔺 Breakthrough $11.1 *NEW*	3 🔺 High Life $292k on 146 screens (cum. $688k) ★  REVIEW, PODCAST
4 Captain Marvel  $9.1 (cum. $400) REVIEW, BIGGEST HITS 1ST QTR	4 🔺 Teen Spirit  $250k on 696 screens (cum. $305k) REVIEW
5 Little $8.4 (cum. $29.3)	5 🔺 The Chaperone $86k on 55 screens (cum. $222k)

Kalank, a big-budget Bollywood spectacle opened in India and the US on the same day (!) and topped the box office in limited release while the Elle Fanning led Teen Spirit received a disastrous reception in its nearly wide expansion taking in just $360 per screen. Meanwhile at the multiplexes, The Curse of La Llorona which is "sort of" part of The Conjuring franchise (though not officially?) opened at #1 for wide releases and Captain Marvel inched over $400 million domestic in its 7th week of release, somehow returning to the top five despite a continued (if unusually slow) loss of screens. What did you see this weekend? 

Cannes 2019 Un Certain Regard Lineup

We already dove into the Cannes Competition Lineup so it's time to look at the other most famous program, Un Certain Regard, which tends to be where a lot of the edgier titles from younger directors go. Some years people actually think this program beats the main competition for quality (since the main competition generally defaults to the "masters," regardless of whether or not they happen to be having a strong year).

UN CERTAIN REGARD

Fernanda Montenegro in "Invisible Life"

Here is a bit about all that titles in Un Certain Regard. These films won't get quite as much buzz in May UNLESS they break out and the familiar refrain begins "Why wasn't this in the main competition?" You know how Cannes critics do...

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Happy Easter!

Enjoy the holiday, won'cha? 

Fosse/Verdon - EP 2: "Who's Got the Pain?"

Previously Ep 1 - "Life is a Cabaret"

No, no, I know who he is. The one with the hats.

by Nathaniel R

The premiere episode of Fosse/Verdon took place (mostly) in 1971 when Fosse was rehearsing Cabaret but linear storytelling isnt remotely 'on trend' in TV miniseries right now, so we're hopping backward for Episode 2 to 1955 when Gwen Verdon was flush from her breakout Tony-winning turn in "Can-Can" and cast in "Damn Yankees". At a lunch meeting Hal Prince (Evan Handler) tries to sell Broadway it girl Gwen Verdon (Michelle Williams) on his choice of choreographer. Gwen isn't sold, wiggling her hand dismissively for Fosse's most famous recurring choreographic accessory, the hat. It's but one of many fine gestural moments from a truly inspired Michelle Williams. Though it's too soon to know, she may well be giving us the performance of her career...

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The New Classics and the return of Michael C

The Film Experience is very pleased to announce that one of our long-lost contributors, Michael Cusumano, is returning to the fold. After a few years off, he has a new weekly column launching Tuesday and new readers are in for a treat because Michael is a fine and insightful writer. We asked him about where he's been and what we can expect. Please welcome him back with open arms! - Nathaniel R.

Michael, where the hell have you been? We haven't seen you around these parts in 4 (gulp) years! We hope you've been having film experiences without us at least.

I’ve been living in New York doing my own creative writing. I needed to take a step back from online film culture and clear some mental space. I had tried to write a first draft of a screenplay and I ended up with a ranked list of all the meaningful glances in Carol.  

You’ll be relieved to learn I still have plenty of film experiences, although I no longer feel the pressure to stay up to date with everything playing...

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