The box office report comes real late this week since it takes a while for the coins to settle after holiday weekends. But here we go with the long weekend estimates (which probably aren't all in).
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are both in their 50s but there's no aging out of action franchises (as we saw with Hamilton & Schwarzenegger last summer in Terminator Dark Fate). The first Bad Boys arrived in 1995 as an instant smash and its sequel waited until 2003 but audiences haven't fallen out of love in the long gaps. They came back in droves 17 years later for round three.
Since this was the first weekend after the Oscar nominations and most of the Best Picture nominees (re) expanded their screen counts, let's check in with EVERYTHING in wide release... and their counterparts in platforming.
Weekend Box Office
January 17th-20th (ESTIMATES)
🔺 = new or expanding / ★ = recommended |
WIDE RELEASE (800+ screens)
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PLATFORM TITLES
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1 🔺 BAD BOYS FOR LIFE $73.4 *NEW*
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1 🔺 WEATHERING WITH YOU $1.7 on 486 screens *NEW* REVIEW ★ |
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7 JUST MERCY $7.5 (cum. $21.1)
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7 A HIDDEN LIFE $48k on 55 screens (cum. $1.6) REVIEW |
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8 FROZEN II $5.3 (cum. $466.5) REVIEW , BEST SONG?
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8 ASHFALL $42k on 18 screens (cum. $320k) |
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10 LIKE A BOSS $4.8 (cum. $17.9)
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10 CLEMENCY $17k on 10 screens (cum. $126k) INTERVIEW, REVIEW ★ |
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11 UNDERWATER $4.3 (cum. $13.5)
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11 CITIZEN K $9k on 1 screen (cum. $36k)
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12 SPIES IN DISGUISE $3.9 (cum. $59.8)
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12 SYNONYMS $3k on 6 screens (cum. $200k) REVIEW, INTERVIEW ★
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15 FORD V FERRARI $1.3 (cum. $113.1)
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15 RECORDER THE MARION STOKES PROJECT $2 (cum. $43k) REVIEW ★
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NOTABLES...
• Parasite moves into wide release (843 screens) for the first time and is approaching the grosses of Pan's Labyrinth and Amelie - W O W
• Dolittle outperformed expectations a bit but cost a fortune to make so breaking even will be difficult. The last major remake starring Eddie Murphy in the 1990s was a huge hit. The 1967 musical starring Rex Harrison was hugely expensive but not so profitable... though its probably best remembered today for its much criticized / heavily campaigned for Best Picture nomination and for being one of the pictures that signalled the decline of movie musical popularity.
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood even tried the reexpansion FOR A SECOND TIME in its 26th week in theaters moving back into 651 locations. It's had a really long run now in theaters but it's out of steam and couldn't conjure up much of a per screen average.
• Despite countless years of the media trying to sell the story that the Oscars are out of touch with the general pubic, here's another year where all the Best Picture nominees are at least modest hits and some much more so. Oscar campaigns have become a defacto marketing wing for adult dramas. You know, whatever it takes to keep getting movies for adults without visual effects and superpowers made. The December glut kills us because it makes moviegoing so lopsided for such movies but this is why it happens: Instant Christmas time hits (Little Women and 1917) can crest just as ballots go out; Best Picture November releases (Ford V Ferrari and Knives Out) can get a second wind just as they're starting to dwindle with Oscar noms; Specialty October releases (Pain and Glory, Jojo Rabbit, and Parasite) can have lengthy runs when they carefully meter themselves out on that long road to Oscar; Even summer blockbusters (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) can re-release for another couple of million when Oscar comes calling. (Of course trusting in Oscar notices and awards to keep people interested and buying tickets doesn't work for every movie and there are multiple sorry casualties every year. )
NEXT WEEK: The next two weeks are the dead zone for movies until Oscar season plays out but the gangster comedy The Gentleman and the horror mystery The Turning both open in wide release while Zombi Child, Panga, Detective Chinatown 3, The Last Full Measure, and Blind Eyes Opened open in select cities.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 10:19AM 
Reader Comments (18)
I caught up on two best picture nominees I hadn't seen, Joker and 1917.
Joker was two hours of my life I'll never get back. It definitely could have been interesting and relevant if approached by a different director (shame on the director's branch) and screenwriter, but it just took the most obvious route. I do think Joaquin deserves an Oscar, so I won't be mad if he wins, but this is maybe the worst performance I've seen of his, which perhaps speaks to Todd Phillips's direction. (De Niro was really lazy as well.)
1917 was technically very proficient, and I can see why some people were moved by it, but I was worn down by the "and then he confronted THIS major obstacle" nature of the screenplay. Note that in general, I am not a fan of war movies, so I am not the natural audience for this film.
That said, I prefer a film like Dunkirk to 1917 because it enabled me to become more invested in the characters (the Mark Rylance segment was particularly gripping).
Among the BP nominees, I still have to see Ford v. Ferrari... I hope it hits on demand before the ceremony.
I saw Clemency before they yanked it out of theaters in LA this past Friday. The positive reviews don't sell the movie well enough for what it actually is. Neon is entirely to blame for botching Woodard's campaign.
I cannot believe Parasite actually out grossed Jojo Rabbit
I saw the Star Wars movie. Lordy, it was like having a flatulent hippopotamus sit on my chest for 2 1/2 hours. As a Star Wars agnostic - I've liked a few of them but I am little more than a dabbler, but this thing was atrocious. Dead, or should I say "dead" people coming and going - to what end? and how the hell was John Williams' - I get paid by the note - score even eligible? It sounded like all the others! Did they change the rules?
With 1917 I'm of two minds. People who complain about it being a "video game" are missing the point. This is just one story of one (or two) soldier(s). This isn't an exploration of the causes that led to WWI. And for the first hour it's superb. Tight, suspenseful, urgent. But the last hour really goes slack, starting with a poignant interlude, then an extended musical interlude, and the tension leaks out. I thought he was in a hurry! What's he doing dawdling around (twice)? And the whole waterfall bit just seems unnecessarily movie-ish. Anyway, my Best Picture ballot would be: 1. Parasite 2. Once Upon a Time ... 3. Ford v. Ferrari 4. 1917 5. Little Women 6. Marriage Story 7. The Irishman 8. Joker 9. Jojo Rabbit
I also caught The Two Popes. Why does this film exist? And the differentiating of Pryce and Hopkins into "Lead" and "Supporting" is totally ridiculous and arbitrary. Yes, Pope Francis is the main character, but about a fourth of his role is played by another actor. Pryce couldn't be in the movie more than a couple of minutes more than Hopkins.
The film exists because it's an intelligent depiction of intelligent people who differ, get to know each other, and don't really change...I don't know, like often happens in life? The film is also the OPPOSITE of what one of the posters on here accuse it of. Lazy, either because that person didn't see or was resigned to an opinion.
I agree with you on the lead/supporting thing. Reason must be obvious tho, and that is that Pryce was more likely to get a nomination.
But really, I am totally open to what your opinion of the film is, but a question like that is lazy. There is a huge dumbing down surrounding giln and music nowadays. One side thinks the other is closed off and lazy, but the other is what major institutions often are. And the inability to watch everything is scary. And to the poster above...why are you not the target audience? You're not a true film lover? If genuine attempts aren't aimed at you then you aren't.
Funny that many of the same people who criticize the Academy for being closed off, or resistant to something like performances in horror films, are just as closed off themselves.
I saw Richard Jewell great performances from Rockwell,Bates and Hauser.
I saw Monos. Tough watch but great film. Julianne Nicholson is so underrated.
I saw 1917. It was fine. I hope George McKay gets a long and fruitful career after this.
Watched The Farewell and The Lighthouse at home. Tried Judy, but couldn't get into it.
Over several cities, some memorable films I watched:
Peanut Butter Falcon - a bit like Of Mice and Men; Zack Gottsagen is lovable, believable and at times terrible; Love the idiomatic attention to local settings, patters, cinematography and I admire the actors' physical feats to make their characters vivid and in tune.
Clemency - a dour examination of the interior life of a prison warden and her emotional unraveling; Scenes are sometimes heavy-going and (intentionally I think) little sunshine is allowed; Alfré Woodard's introspective performance is one for the ages especially with that close-up at the end where the camera refused to leave her grieving face. Emotionally powerful without showboating.
A Hidden Life - it is like being suspended in a slow-moving airlift; I didn't dare breathe too much in case the fragile beauty of Malick's artful curation of images, score, sounds and emotions disappear in the wide expanse of the farm fields; tragic yet life-affirming; breathtaking photography, oh yes.
Marriage Story - a tender and enduring evocation of a marital, physical, spiritual separation. Some parts felt too real; the principals delivered uniformly excellent work; Might be a touchstone film in the near future, but then again, maybe not. But the music, the pacing, the understanding of the after-effects of divorce are all spot-on and wedded to (near) perfection.
Invisible Life - The blurb seen at the Film Forum lobby perfectly captured the film overall: "Sisterhood is stronger than patriarchy"; men are cruel, crude, rude, ineffectual but sororal solidarity knows no time and space limitations and confinement; heartbreaking at times. Fernanda Montenegro comes at the end to reconcile the deeply tragic story of dashed hopes and eternal love. It is like the mythical Euridice who came to lament the loss of Orpheus yet also found peace and closure at last.
Watched 1917 and liked it. Gearing up to see The Joker, which I normally would have skipped, but now I'm kind of curious. Ok, very curious.
I feel that, if the Oscars were not "out of touch with the general 'pubic'",there would be major inappropriateness issues a la #MeToo!
Little Women- I liked way more than I thought I would. Florence Pugh was excellent and I really liked the way the story went back and forth in flashbacks. A few people in the audience said they had to take some time to adjust to it though.
1917- It was good. It didn't need to be in a one shot format. And it did become gimmick -y after a while. I wonder if it was shot as a regular film would it still be getting all the praise?
I caught up, belatedly, with A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Was teary-eyed for the entire second half. What a lovely movie; I know it did reasonably well at the box office, but it seems to me that it's hasn't received nearly enough critical recognition. Such smart restraint all around--I loved how it trusted in moments of silence. The screenplay's exploration of pain and growth felt real and not trite or too sentimental. I'll admit that certain aspects of my own life at the moment parallel what Rhys' character is going through, so I was sort of primed to be affected, but I'm surprised more people weren't impressed.
Most I've ever liked Hanks, too--he doesn't try too hard with the impersonation, which is why he comes across as an actual human being. Rhys is very good in a tricky part. I love the way Heller shapes her films--there's a guiding vision that doesn't constantly call needless attention to itself, but every moment is so carefully considered. I'd see any movie she makes.
Clemency and 1917 today...two of the year's best. Clemency is quite slow but the direction is truly assured, and it has an ensemble that has a case for best of. If Hanks is a lead (which I think) then Hodges should win the Oscar. Too bad. And incredible work, obviously, from Woodard.
1917 has an argument at the top of the list. Interesting that people find the time to call something a gimmick, when the intensity just builds and builds. American Beauty was everything so many thought it was 20 years ago, and Mendes has lived up to that promise. All. The. Way. Thru. He's one of the greats.
Saw A Hidden Life last week...frustrated me, because at times I thought really bad, then I'd think not that bad, then I'd think maybe I'm missing it being great. Beautiful cinematography, super vivid, but not happy with the editing..which is really more to do with the direction, come to think of it. Terrific performances all around. Deserves another viewing but the melodrama works against itself a bit. And not happy with the Fernanda Montenegro bit.
Or many of the subtitles...two bits were just off.
Invisible Life**, sorry.
Neon has thrown all their campaign efforts behind their golden goose, Parasite.
Poor Clemency n Portrait of a Lady on Fire r given the short shaft!!
If u wanna release them for award consideration, give them the due space n not dump them in the chokeful mths o Nov n Dec, where these two small films will hav no chance in midst o all the bigger budget prestige movies n blockbusters.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire suffers both being passed over by France and being poorly released by Neon...
But Clemency's release makes no sense. I often like being surprised by a release, but I heard about Clemency an entire year ago. Hodges would have likely missed, regardless (category fraud abound) but Woodard would have a real chance.