Halloween stays on top. Suspiria packs houses (albeit only two of them)
Sunday, October 28, 2018 at 6:10PM by Nathaniel R
Staying power or lack of competition? Halloween, A Star is Born, and Venom held on to the top three spots in wide release (with Venom booting Crazy Rich Asians out of the top ten films of 2018...sigh) while the platforming Oscar hopefuls continued their slow crawl towards public awareness beyond people like us if you know what I mean...
| Weekend Box Office Estimates (October 26-28) |
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| W I D E 800+ screens |
PLATFORM / LIMITED excluding prev. wide |
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| 1. Halloween $32 (cum. $126.6) Review |
1. 🔺 Johnny English Strikes Again $1.6 on 544 screens *NEW* |
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| 2. A Star is Born $14.1 (cum. $148.7) Review, Soundtracking, Podcast |
2. 🔺 Free Solo $1 on 394 screens (cum. $5.1) |
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| 3. Venom $10.8 (cum. $187.2) |
3. 🔺 Beautiful Boy $592k on 192 screens (cum. $1.4) Podcast |
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| 4. Goosebumps 2 $7.5 (cum. $38.3) | 4. Gosnell: The Trial of... $389k on 467 screens (cum. $3.2) |
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| 5.🔺Hunter Killer $6.6 *NEW* |
5. 🔺 Can You Ever Forgive Me? $380k on 25 screens (cum. $610k) Review, Podcast |
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| 6. The Hate U Give $5.1 (cum. $18.3) Review |
6. Colette $327k on 235 screens (cum. $4.4) Capsule, Podcast |
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| 7. First Man $4.9 (cum. $37.8) Capsule Review, Podcast |
7. 🔺 Suspiria $179k *NEW* on 2 screens |
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| 8. Smallfoot $4.7 (cum. $72.5) Warner Animation |
8. 🔺 Wildlife $111k on 18 screens (cum. $249k) Review, Carey Mulligan |
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| 9. Night School $3.2 (cum. $71.4) |
9. 🔺 The Happy Prince $80k on 71 screens (cum. $224k) Trailer |
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| 10. 🔺Mid90s $3 (cum. $3.3) |
10. Tea with the Dames $80k on 67 screens (cum. $576k) |
| 🔺 = new or expanding theater count numbers (in millions unless otherwise noted) from box office mojo |
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A handful of scattered thoughts...
• Suspiria had the weekend's best per screen average by far with nearly $90,000 on each of its screens. Makes you think they should have gone at least a little wider (like the top 10 markets or something for opening weekend?). It's always strange when buzzy horror films decide to skip valuable Halloween dollars like this one is doing. Remember when The Babadook did that too? Odd.
• The Wife has finally left the limited release top ten in its 11th week of release. Good solid arthouse run, though, with $7.6 million in the bank.
• Venom booted Crazy Rich Asians out of the top ten films of 2018...which is a loss for originals (it's unlikely we'll have any non-franchise films in the top ten by years end since A Quiet Place will surely fall to a franchise title in the next month)... but what can you do? Movie culture has been trending away from original titles for years.
• Border, Sweden's Oscar submission, had a decent debut with $71,000 from 7 theaters despite little publicity. Burning, South Korea's Oscar submission is off to a slower start with $28,000 from 2 theaters.
• While the new Gerard Butler film Hunter Killer didn't light the world on fire (how many generic action movies has he made now?), it performed a lot better than the only other brand new wide release, Indivisible a Christian war drama, which didn't crack the top ten.
What did you see this weekend and which movie are you most impatient to get in your town?
Halloween, Holidays, Suspiria, Venom, box office
Reader Comments (27)
Is it worrisome for 'First Man''s Oscar chances that it is fading so quickly at the box office? I know box office isn't everything, but at this rate, it is going to be out of the top 10 by the next week and will that take it off people's minds? I would assume the studio expected to get a little more traction out of this movie at this time of year. It just doesn't seem like a flashy or memorable enough film to linger with voters.
The British Film Festival started in Australia in the past week. Amongst the weekend viewings was RED JOAN (utterly shite!) and VITA AND VIRGINIA (not bad, but Elizabeth Debicki's performance deserved a better script, director and co-star).
Also watched UPGRADE (excellent genre film), MY FRIEND DAHMER (good), POP AYE (good), I AM NOT A WITCH (excellent - I hope it is in the mix for Foreign Language Oscar nominations) and GHOST STORIES (I chose it over HALLOWEEN for the weekend seasonal scares, and I think I chose well) for new movies. And saw 1950 Foreign Language Oscar nominee THE BURMESE HARP with my local film society - a magnificent Japanese war reflection, should be seen by all film buffs!
Saw "Halloween", which overpromised and underdelivered. After all that hype, the movie itself is so basic and just not that interesting. Plus they're almost certainly going to be tempted into another sequel, which would retroactively make this one seem even less consequential.
a) I saw The Sisters Brothers. Solid film with intriguing performances across the board (though I thought Ahmed was best in show, Gyllenhaal did a lot more with his character than the screenplay gave him). It's oddly edited, but gorgeously shot and scored. Superlative ending, but the screenplay really struggled to adapt this book's odd tone and nature.
b) Zach, I think First Man as a major oscar contender is basically dead. I can imagine it getting a boatload of nominations and a couple of minor wins, but Foy is probably barely hanging on and Gosling was already going to struggle due to the nature of the role. A shame, because I think it's far better than it's been received at the box office.
I saw Beautiful Boy which I thought was quiet and beautiful in performance, direction, cinematography and music cues.
Also saw Mid 90s which I really liked as well.
Free Solo was the film I was looking forward to seeing. It just arrived in my city this weekend but haven’t seen it yet.
I saw First Man, and why didn't they cast Patrick Fugit as Neil Armstrong, and maybe Ronney Mara as the wife? It is too long and distant, I completely get why it is struggling. It seemed miscast and I did not believe it.
I caught up with A Star Is Born and First Man. Loved them both, but I'm still firmly in Glenn Close's corner as far as Best Actress goes, and as far as Best Actor goes Ryan Gosling just topped himself as far as I'm concerned. His previous best, Blue Valentine, was ognored, so I'm afraid this will be, too.
After seeing so many trailers, all I can say is that Mary Poppins Returns looks really really good - previously it had not been on my radar at all. As for Green Book, I hope the preview is misleading, because it looks absolutely dreadful. I'm in no hurry to see Viggo do a "deze dem doze" performance (it took long enough to recover from Mark Ruffalo in Spotlight). Also, the makeup job on Christian Bale in Vice looks stunning!
I saw "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" which I thought was completely and utterly absorbing and wonderful. I saw it at a cinema in NYC which I hadn't been to--The Landmark--and it was a great venue to see a film.
Grant and McCarthy are fabulous here. I've always liked McCarthy but I'm not a superfan or anything--anyway, she's PERFECT in this. Funny (of course), fully committed to the character, and complete knockout in the more dramatic scenes. So far she's given my favorite leading performance by an actress in a film so far this year (I don't see as many movies as a lot of posters here, but I've seen Collette, Gaga, Pfeiffer, Mulligan, and Fisher).
I read somewhere that the movie is too subdued to attract much attention, and I completely disagree. It's a juicy and compelling story and the film has a lot of delightfully prickly humor. I hope it does decent business--it's a total winner in my book.
I saw The Hate U Give.
Russell Hornsby joins the ranks of “greatest film portrayals of fathers”.
I was awed by his immense capacity for listening, for putting himself on the same wavelength of each of the other actors, for giving himself completely to the other person.
His steadfastness and soulfulness is unforgettable.
Saw The Hate U Give. Really powerful film. I expect more people to catch on through word of mouth and I wouldn't be surprised if it got some SAG or other awards love.
Saw The Old Man and the Gun.... very underwhelming.
Buzzy horror films skip Halloween so they don't get lumped in with horror films. Once the critics and awards groups start honoring them, they magically transform into thrillers without the "October release means a horror film" stigma. The one odd exception to this is Get Out because it chose to campaign as a Comedy film last year for the Globes. It's satirical horror, yes, but still horror. I'm thinking Suspiria is going to make an awards push like The Babadook did and you can't have that tainted by just being a horror film.
Re-watches of Clash of the Titans (2010 remake) and Murder at 1600 (during the marathon that was GAME 3) and a couple of first-timers in Happy Death Day and Don't Look Now.
"Border," which is wonderful (what a great companion piece to "Let the Right One In," written by the same screenwriter) and "First Man," which astounded me with its visceral, immersive filmmaking.
Rewatched A Perfect World, which is such an underrated little gem.
Yay for The Wife's sold run at the box office. Modest revenues but given the scale of the film's budget, truly solid. Does this mean that Glenn's nomination is now without question? Or will her snub be the biggest upset? I guess we shall see.
Rewatched Une Liaison Pornographique with Nathalie Baye and Sergi Lopez as two unnamed lovers who meet weekly for physical intimacy. But there's more to their rendezvous as they gradually get to know each other without knowing each other's names, their occupations, their addresses, and their identities, really -- I kinda miss those analogue days. How the narrative evolved into the ending that it became was captured delicately. This is the film that can end in either direction and I would be okay with it if it's told persuasively. But in An Affair of Love (as it was known in the English-speaking world) the ending convinces. Baye and Lopez were topnotch in their roles with Baye providing extra dramatic sparks. They really have undeniable chemistry which is crucial for stories like these.
Saw Cold War and truly liked it. Joanna Kulig is incandescent as an actress, a singer and as Zula. This very beautifully-lit film was a less nihilistic Head On by Fatih Akin in 2004. Plus the great Agata Kulesza (so wonderful in Ida) makes a cameo. Some people likened the story to PT Anderson's Phantom Thread and I can see that, but Cold War seems interested in the yo-yoing relationalities of Zula and Wiktor in the context of the ever-shifting worlds they live in. Another highlight for me are the Eastern European choral music that were scintillatingly performed onscreen. The ending which divided audiences is perfection to me. There is a hint of Random Harvest and Housekeeping to the proceedings (both the novels of James Hilton and Marilynne Robinson respectively and the filmic versions they inspired). I have been humming Zula's signature song for several days now and I wish I can download a copy of it or get the full soundtrack. There is a jazz-after-hours vibe about the film that appeals to me in ways I can't quite explain.
Gaspar Noe's Climax was said to be his best and although I see the coherence of the storyline and the clarity and singularity of vision where he filmed this descent to Inferno, it is still hard to stomach. There were 2 or 3 walkouts when I saw it in a full-packed theater and strangely there were no audience reaction for pretty much the entire movie save for occasional nervous laughter. I am glad I saw it but I won't be re-watching it anytime within the next 365 days.
I did rewatch Hu Bo's ethereal, gloomy, moody and beautifully shot and paced An Elephant Sitting Still. When I saw it at the NZIFF last July, I was not in the best state since I just had some medical procedures which prevented me from paying close attention to what's going on, but watching it again for another 4 hours was definitely worth it. Somehow Wei Bu and the rest of the les misérables in Northern China tugged at my emotional heartstrings even more insistently now than before. There is some insistent electric guitar music scored with soft choral music that truly works to provide a non-diegetic accent to the lives of those in an emotional tailspin. There are scenes that remind me of the still beauty that only a Kieślowski can bring. For sure this film is top 5 best film of 2018 but I haven't seen other late releases yet too. But it still has the power to haunt me since July.
Can You Ever Forgive Me was really great. McCarthy & Grant are in fine form. Great script. Just the right tone. Beautiful Boy was a bit of a miss for me. A little too long. I spent a lot of time wondering why there were all of these hazy long shots. Chalamet is really great though. As expected.
Saw Halloween, which I thought was a lot of fun (although this was helped immeasurably by an audience that was unafraid to laugh and groan and yell at the screen whenever the characters did something stupid only because they were in a horror film), and Beautiful Boy, which was just shockingly bad. Some of the worst music cues I've heard in a long time, and a structure that just doesn't work. Very disappointing.
I'm SO GLAD that people are seeing The Hate U Give! Easily one of the year's best films, and seemingly everyone who sees it loves it. Spread the word! It deserves far bigger box office than it's getting.
From best to worst:
Shoplifters - All the buzz surrounds Roma, but I wonder if this could be a surprise hit (in foreign-language film terms) in the U.S. I've loved every Koreeda film I've seen, but this may be my favorite. A film about how those close to us can sustain us but also break us.
The Old Man and the Gun - David Lowery made a film for all of the Robert Redford superfans. Assuming this really is Redford's last film, it couldn't be a better summation piece. So many clever references to his past work.
Cold War - Visually stunning; every frame could be a photo in a gallery. But the film is not as emotionally impactful as it wants to be.
Sorry to Bother You - I like certain aspects of this so much. Boots Riley has a strong voice, and the concept is unique. But the humor too often felt dated and predictable.
I saw Old Man and the Gun. High nostalgic value. Probably a bullseye with older voters. (I'll admit I enjoyed it, but I'm getting older and like nostalgia.) I could see Redford's performance sneaking in to the Oscar race.
Saw Ideal Home with Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd. Really enjoyable. Cannot wait to see Wildlife. Huge Carey Mulligan fan.
TEA WITH THE DAMES. Loved spending an hour and a half with those ladies, but they seemed confused on what they were supposed to talk about, or couldn't talk about. It felt like a very loose Actors' Roundtable with little or no prompts; could have used more direction (and comfortable sofas and more champagne!). Plus, when the film moved to Joan Plowright, EVERYTHING became all about Laurence Olivier, so I was annoyed. I think they should head as a group to Graham Norton's next time. More fun there.
Halloween is a good time if you miss seeing slashers, Jamie Lee Curtis and/or Michael Myers on the big screen. Hopefully the insane box office means the beginning of a career resurgence for Jamie á la Meryl circa 2002. Kathryn Bigelow, call her!
Saw Personal Shopper for the first time. Perfect viewing for the Halloween season. Was definitely more about mood and vibe than plot, which probably doesn't really make sense? I see there's a lot of theories online, including that K.Stew was murdered in the hotel room. I'm not buying that. Her performance was excellent, you can't take your eyes off her. For me, she's the modern day Marlon Brando (Marla Branda?) - mumbly, jumbly, always kind of just herself but so connected to the camera/viewer.
Also saw the first episode of The Romanoffs. If this is getting lots of praise, I'd consider it overrated. Aaron Eckhart looks rode hard and left out wet to dry but can still get it. The directions of the story felt predictable, and I can't imagine how the entire series will tie together in a way that is of any value. The actress who played Hajar was great, kind of like a middle eastern Penelope Cruz.
I saw THE WIFE. much better than I thought would be. Glenn Close towering!! So well deserved the acolades!
Can't wait to see
SUSPIRIA
THE FAVOURITE
ROMA
FOREIGN CANDIDATES TO THE OSCAR
Saw Can You Ever Forgive Me, which is just great. McCarthy and Grant are perfect together with wonderful chemistry and each committed to their own, unique characters.
Also saw The Hate U Give which is also fantastic. It's a great adaptation of the book - they knew just what to leave out, what to include and what to add. There's a lot that happens in the book but they somehow kept all the important elements. Confirming this, during a scene where a character's history is revealed, a guy behind me said out loud "there are so many layers to this film." The actors are all fantastic. It was very moving. I hope it's successful.
I saw Mandy because I will watch Andrea Riseborough in anything. A batshit, bloody concert between the director & Nicholas Cage.