July 3, 2018

Watch: Techniques Every Cinematographer Can Learn from Roger Deakins

Oscar or not, filmmakers have much to learn from <i>Blade Runner 2049</i>’s master DP Roger Deakins.<p>Given that films are ultimately collaborative efforts, …
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July 1, 2018

‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado’ Overperforms at Box Office, like Other Summer Sequels

Summer 2018 shows signs of strength beyond the usual blockbusters. But will the box office sustain beyond its great first half? It depend how one defines sustain. The biggest openings — including Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp” next weekend — are likely behind us and make up the bulk of the long haul. It will take some better-than-expected results from the rest of the forthcoming releases to keep up the pace.

Two modest-budget titles under $50 million, “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” (Sony) and “Uncle Drew” (Lionsgate), performed better than predicted with their respective $19 million and $15.5 million opening weekends. While both fell short of summer 2017 sleepers “Baby Driver” and “Girls Trip,” by opening on the same weekend and adding to the strong holdover totals, the newbies helped the weekend totals come in slightly higher than their equivalent last year. That sustains a year to date total that remains up nearly ten percent.

While new releases deserve attention, let’s not kid ourselves. Brand names are the reason for continued summer results. “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” (Universal) and “Incredibles 2” (Disney) combined did 60 percent of the business this weekend. The Dinoworld sequel with $60 million notched #1 for its second weekend.

That’s a nearly 60 percent drop from its excellent opening. That compares to the 49 percent drop for the second weekend of 2015’s massive “Jurassic” reboot. That’s middling among the summer’s top openers (“Solo” and “Deadpool 2” are greater, with the latter affected by the Star Wars film opening its second weekend.)

If “Fallen Kingdom” in ten days reaches $265 million domestic, which along with outstanding foreign results gets it to a total $932 million worldwide (most foreign dates opened two weeks earlier), the movie should end up overall at about two thirds of the 2005 film (with the domestic share lower, but still strong). But the U.S./Canada total should approach $400 million.

Pixar

The Pixar sequel “Incredibles 2” dropped 43 percent its third weekend. The easy comparison is to “Finding Dory” two years ago, a June release, a many-years-later sequel to a major success. The third weekend is the same gross as “Dory,” but that total was boosted by falling on July 1-3 on Independence Day weekend. The total so far is $40 million better ($440 million) than “Dory.”

“Incredibles 2” looks on track to become the highest grossing domestic Pixar release ever (including adjusted — it needs to get to the “Finding Nemo” total of $516 million to achieve that).  International openings so far have added $207 million. That’s without multiple major European and Asian countries still to open this (due to World Cup competition). This is a major comeback for Pixar, which, for all of its acclaim, has sometimes struggled to equal routine animation releases from rival studios. And it comes at a time of internal turmoil after John Lasseter’s departure from the company.

Lionsgate

The unexpected summer release of “Soldado” (released domestically by Sony as a service deal, with original domestic distributor Lionsgate handling overseas) showed that the decent if not exceptional results the first time (with Denis Villeneuve having moved on, along with co-star Emily Blunt, a vital part of the 2015 film).

The gross this time came in more than 50 percent better than the initial wide release previously, which came after two weeks of platform play. That was in early October. It had a terrific four-time multiple (total nearing $50 million), with foreign coming in somewhat below. But the film has thrived on streaming, cable, and otherwise.

Not as well-reviewed as the first film, “Soldado” (“Sicario” has a Metascore of 82 vs. “Soldado” at 60) pulled more general audience interest with its timely border action elements. Last time around the first wide Saturday was up nine per cent, while this time it fell 17 percent. “Soldado” should easily equal the first outing. The $8.4 million international in 55 territories isn’t impressive, though the World Cup provides a major distraction.

The far less expensive African-American basketball comedy “Uncle Drew” (Lionsgate) also topped predictions. With a mostly older cast including some veteran NBA stars (plus the rising Tiffany Haddish) and a family-friendly PG-13 rating, it provided counter-programming at a time when there isn’t a lot of comedy out there.

And it could thrive. It got an elevated A Cinemascore, though still dropped 15 percent day two (“Girls Trip” last summer dropped five per cent its initial Saturday). It should be a mostly domestic appeal title, which makes the initial numbers fairly vital for its future. At least it has hit its initial goal.

Impressive as well is “Ocean’s 8” (Warner Bros.), which dropped only 30 percent and has reached almost $115 million. It could now exceed $130 million. Comedy “Tag” (Warner Bros.) is holding decently, down 32 per cent to reach $41 million. “Deadpool 2” dropped 34 per cent, in the first week since late April not to have two Marvel titles in the Top Ten. It has reached $310 million.

Also of note is the Bollywood biopic “Sanju” (20th Century Fox) getting to #8 in only 356 theaters. Its $2,550,000 million gross is, to put in context, better than any weekend of the very successful documentaries “RBG” (Magnolia) or “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (Focus) in as many or more theaters. Both film ultimately will be far bigger (figure “Sanju” to reach around $6 million). “Neighbor” meantime retained its #10 spot with a major expansion to 654 theaters and about $2.3 million. It will join “RBG” over $10 million by next weekend, and push considerably higher than that.

The Top Ten

1. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (Universal) Week 2; Last weekend #1

$60,000,000 (-59%) in 4,485 theaters (+10); PTA (per theater average): $13,378; Cumulative: $264,787,000

2. Incredibles 2 (Disney) Week 3; Last weekend #2

$45,456,000 (-43%) in 4,410 theaters (no change); PTA: $10,328; Cumulative: $439,730,000

3. Sicario: Day of the Soldado (Sony) NEW – Metacritic: 60; Cinemascore: B; Est. budget: $40 million

$19,015,000 in 3,055 theaters; PTA: $; Cumulative: $19,015,000

4. Uncle Drew (Lionsgate) NEW – Metacritic: 57; Cinemascore: A; Est. budget: $18 million

$15,500,000 in 2,742 theaters; PTA: $5,653; Cumulative: $15,500,000

5. Ocean’s 8 (Warner Bros.)  Week 4; Last weekend #3

$8,035,000 (-30%) in 3,426 theaters (-230); PTA: $2,345; Cumulative: $114,707,000

6. Tag (Warner Bros.) Week 3; Last weekend #4

$5,635,000 (-32%) in 3,176 theaters (-206); PTA: $1,774; Cumulative: $40,888,000

7. Deadpool 2 (20th Century Fox) Week 7; Last weekend #5

$3,450,000 (-35%) in 2,094 (-326) theaters; PTA: $1,648; Cumulative: $310,350,000

8. Sanju (20th Century Fox)

$2,550,000 in 356 theaters; PTA: $7,163; Cumulative: $2,550,000

9. Solo: A Star Wars Story (Disney)  Week 6; Last weekend #6

$2,293,000 (-49%) in 1,654 theaters (-684); PTA: $1,386; Cumulative: $

10. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (Focus)  Week 4; Last weekend #10

$2,290,000 (+26%) in 648 theaters (+294); PTA: $3,502; Cumulative: $7,488,000

 

 

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Source: IndieWire film

July 1, 2018

The 20 Best Movies of 2018 So Far, According to Metacritic

The numbers don’t lie, and they spell disaster for “Gotti.”

Source: IndieWire film

July 1, 2018

‘Three Identical Strangers’ and ‘Leave No Trace’ Continue Strong Summer Specialty Box Office

Two impressive new openings build on the ongoing response to two stellar documentaries already doing strong box office. “Leave No Trace” (Bleecker Street) from acclaimed director Debra Granik (“Winter’s Bone”) and “Three Identical Strangers” (Neon), a compelling documentary about three triplets reunited in early adulthood, both opened well in initial dates (in many of the same theaters).

With documentaries “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (Focus Features) and “RBG” (Magnolia) both expanding well, the specialized market is improving this summer. However, it’s still difficult for most leading titles playing in a few hundred theaters, even backed by great reviews, to get over the modest $3 million mark. It is critical that a few break through.

Opening

Three Identical Strangers (Neon) – Metacritic: 79; Festivals include: Sundance, Seattle 2018

$163,023 in 5 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $32,605

Although they aren’t well-known icons like the smash “RBG” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”, the subjects of this acclaimed documentary — triplets adopted by different parents, with no expectation of every knowing of each other — did gain notoriety some decades ago. Their complicated and riveting story is recreated here, with initial theatrical response continuing the excitement from the film’s Sundance premiere. It played at five top New York/Los Angeles locations with a great result. The film brings drama and human interest not unlike the Oscar-winning “Searching for Sugar Man.” That successful film opened in three theaters with less than the average of “Strangers”‘ five-theater break.

What comes next: Initial big-city dates start this Friday, with an extensive national release assured by these numbers.

Leave No Trace (Bleecker Street) – Metacritic: 89; Festivals include: Sundance, Cannes 2018

$216,061 in 9 theaters; PTA: $24,018

Debra Granik’s first film since her Best Picture nominee “Winter’s Bone” eight years ago also opened to strong results. In an unusual move, Bleecker Street went into five other cities (four coastal) along with two major theaters each in New York and Los Angeles. The core four theaters led the results, with an average just about the same as “Three Identical Strangers.” The other five (led by Phoenix, an increasingly strong specialized market) show this has significant national interest as well.

The story of a father and daughter preferring to live a more rustic life in the woods outside Portland, Oregon is similar to recent sleeper hit “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.” The New York/Los Angeles grosses are about the same, with the numbers also in a similar range to “Winter’s Bone.” Both films ended up some distance over the $5 million mark, which is much more difficult to reach these days. The initial results suggest this could have similar success.

What comes next: Around ten new cities start the national expansion this Friday.

Love, Cecil (Zeitgeist)  – Metacritic: 62; Festivals include: Telluride, Hamptons 2017

$8,900 in 1 theater; PTA: $8,900

This documentary about legendary movie designer Cecil Beaton had a respectable opening at New York’s Film Society of Lincoln Center. This result shows that once again one way to gain an audience for a documentary is to focus on a creative figure whose name is better known than the details of his life.

What comes next: Chicago opens next week, with Los Angeles (July 20) among other upcoming dates.

Custody (Kino Lorber)  – Metacritic: 82; Festivals include: Venice, Toronto 2017

$5,337 in 1 theater; PTA: $5,337

An intense divorce battle is the focus of this French film which opened to excellent reviews in Manhattan. The gross was modest at New York’s IFC Center.

What comes next: The next big city opening is set for Los Angeles on July 13, with other limited dates to follow.

The Cakemaker (Strand)  – Metacritic: 74; Festivals include: Karoly Vary, Chicago 2017

$(est.) 32,000 in 4 theaters; PTA: $(est.) 8,000

With appeal to both gay audiences and fans of Israeli films, this story about the surviving partner of a Berlin relationship clandestinely meeting his lover’s family and then becoming a part of their lives showed decent initial results in New York and Los Angeles dates.

What comes next: Washington, Boston, and Philadelphia open this Friday, with a major market national release continuing in following weeks.

Dark River (FilmRise) – Metacritic: 82; Festivals include: Toronto 2017, Seattle 2018

$5,100 in 2 theaters; PTA: $2,550

British director Clio Bernard (“The Arbor,” “The Selfish Giant”) continues to corral excellent reviews with her latest film. But this adaptation of a novel about a woman who returns to her childhood village to reclaim the family home gained little traction in its New York/Los Angeles debut.

What comes next: The reviews should get this some limited showings at niche locations, but this doesn’t look like it will receive a much wider release.

Sanju (20th Century Fox)

$2,550,000 in 356 theaters; PTA: $7,163

This is one of the biggest Indian/Bollywood releases of the year. Its simultaneous world wide release includes the U.S., including one of the higher theater totals (though not a record). This is a movie-world biopic about all-time Bollywood star Sanju. The gross was big enough to crack the overall Top Ten this weekend. But it falls far short of the massive $10 million plus last year for the epic “Baahubali 2.”

What comes next: This looks to have scored most viable theaters, so the rest of the run will depend on audience reaction at its core locations.

Week Two

Boundaries (Sony Pictures Classics)

$50,034 in 17 theaters (+12); PTA: $2,943; Cumulative: $92,590

The second weekend for this road movie with Christopher Plummer traveling with his daughter and grandson yielded the same average as SPC’s earlier “The Leisure Seeker,” while playing at about a third as many theaters, most of which grossed higher than the Helen Mirren/Donald Sutherland film. That suggests more modest results as this expands further, though the older target audience often responds to films as they spread into Middle America.

The Catcher Was a Spy (IFC)

$113,682 in 53 theaters (+7); PTA: $2,229; Cumulative: $291,689

With only a few more theaters, this recreation of major leaguer Moe Berg’s double life as a World War II spy grossed nearly as well its second weekend. It looks to be getting strong word of mouth, despite mediocre reviews for the film. These results should lead to wider play ahead.

The King (Oscilloscope)

$12,000 in 3 theaters (+1);  Cumulative: $4,000

Eugene Jarecki’s road-trip documentary set around Elvis Presley and his cultural impact added Los Angeles this weekend. The result is less than the $14,525 it took in last weekend in two New York theaters alone.

Damsel (Magnolia)

$72,000 in 31 theaters (-2); PTA: $2,323; Cumulative: $105,082

Robert Pattinson, with his latest ongoing effort in offbeat independent film, joins Mia Wasikowska in this revisionist Western directed by the Zellner brothers.

Spiral (Cohen)

$1,114 in 1 theater (no change); PTA: $1,114; Cumulative: $6,279

This documentary about the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe, co-produced by Cohen’s owner, is getting minimal interest in its second weekend at the Quad in Manhattan.

Ongoing/expanding (Grosses over $50,000)

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (Focus) Week 4

$2,290,000 in 654 theaters (+306); Cumulative: $7,500,000

Confidently nearly doubling its theater count, Focus is pushing to maximize the returns for this acclaimed documentary on Mr. Rogers. This resulted in only a modest increase in the gross (last weekend was $1,821,000) but the per theater average remains decent enough to suggest that nationwide interest is strong. This already is playing more than 200 theaters above the high point for “RBG,” and is at about $1.6 million above where that popular documentary was after its fourth weekend. This looks to ultimately top the other iconic figure biodoc in play at the moment, with both showing stunning results.

RBG (Magnolia) Week 9

$388,000 in 185 theaters (-23); Cumulative: $11,522,000

The per-theater average for this already hugely successful documentary on Justice Ginsberg went up this weekend as the film enters its third month in release. Why? Perhaps because her work site made the news this week. This will give the film a further lease on life.

Hearts Beat Loud (Gunpowder & Sky) Week 4

$370,090 in 170 theaters (+66); Cumulative: $1,276,000

As it gets deeper into the country, this father/daughter musical duo story is holding up well. The numbers suggest decent word of mouth and the potential to expand somewhat more.

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

American Animals (The Orchard) Week 5

$359,983 in 293 theaters (-46); Cumulative: $2,123,000

This recreation of a Kentucky college library rare book theft has made most of its theatrical take. Though it had some crossover appeal, it’s another example of a decent film that can’t quite break through into wider theaters.

Gotti (Vertical) Week 3

$295,000 in 331 theaters (-135);  Cumulative: $3,943,000

Nearing the end of its run, John Travolta’s personal project has done better than social media suggests. But it still has fallen short of hopes. Perhaps the notoriety will help its post-theatrical after-life.

First Reformed (A24) Week 7

$159,600 in 118 theaters (-33);  Cumulative: $3,133,000

Paul Schrader’s film ranks #1 on IndieWire’s best films list for the first half of 2018. And it continues to get elevated media attention (a prominent interview with the director was published in The New York Times last week, nearly two months after its opening). It remains to be seen whether this helps the film stay in theaters and get anywhere close to the total gross it should have.

The Seagull (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 8

$51,262 in 65 theaters (-80); Cumulative: $1,163,000

This combination of Saorise Ronan, Annette Bening, and Elizabeth Moss with the Chekhov classic failed to rouse more than minor interest.

Also noted:

The Rider (Sony Pictures Classics) – $41,646 in 54 theaters; Cumulative: $2,204,000

Eating Animals (IFC) – $16,738 in 24 theaters; Cumulative: $87,814

The Guardians (Music Box)  – $12,627 in 9 theaters; Cumulative: $122,839

Summer 1963 (Oscilloscope) – $11,500 in 13 theaters; Cumulative: $157,396

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Source: IndieWire film

July 1, 2018

Gaspar Noé Is ‘Not Fascinated’ by Stanley Kubrick’s Work as a Whole, but Calls ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ ‘Utterly Majestic’

Gaspar Noé may not have liked “Black Panther,” but not all his takes on acclaimed films are of the hot variety. The controversial filmmaker — whose “Climax” received much acclaim at Cannes this year — is, for instance, even more obsessed with Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” than most other filmmakers: He estimates he’s seen it upwards of 50 times, believes he owns the largest collection of “2001” posters in the world, and calls it “THE film.”

The first time he saw it, Noé recalls in a Senses of Cinema interview, was when he was around seven years old in Buenos Aires. That first experience helped him “realize what a psychedelic trip could be, where life came from and how it was conceived. The origin of life.”

Noé explored similarly mind-bending territory in “Enter the Void,” though his best-known — and most hotly debated — film remains “Irréversible,” whose graphic rape scene remains infamous 16 years later.

“It’s sublime. It’s unthinkable that someone managed to pull off a film like that, before any form of CG,” he adds. “It was a period when people still believed in cinema. This film is the absolute and ultimate manifestation of the power of the mind over matter, over technology. In cinematic terms, ‘2001’ is that manifestation.”

As for his thoughts about what the film is getting at,Noé posits that the sci-fi masterpiece “deals with the inner world as much as with the outside world. We spend one third, maybe even more, of our life sleeping. So there’s conscious and unconscious life, and to me, the last third of 2001 deals with the unconscious, the great, vast unconscious, as vast as outer space.”

Asked whether his own films have a philosophy in the same way Kubrick’s do,Noé is uncharacteristically modest. “I am a dwarf…a flea…compared to the giant…You can’t compare. Kubrick made THE film,” he says. “The film where you can wonder how could someone do something so utterly majestic and ahead of its time. It is the major, the ultimate work of art made by a filmmaker,” he gushes.

Despite that, Noe is “not fascinated by Kubrick’s oeuvre as a whole” and has only seen “Dr. Strangelove” once: “This is one stands alone, above all the other ones,” he says. Read the full interview here.

Source: IndieWire film

July 1, 2018

‘To the Night’ Trailer: Caleb Landry Jones Leaves Ebbing, Missouri for New York in Surreal Karlovy Vary Drama — Watch

Karlovy Vary is underway in the Czech Republic, and among the world premieres is writer/director Peter Brunner’s “To the Night.” Caleb Landry Jones (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” “Twin Peaks: The Return,” “Get Out”) stars in the film, which received “dramaturgical consulting” from Michael Haneke — a teacher of Brunner’s. Watch the trailer below.

Here’s the synopsis: “Norman has never come to terms with the fire that, in his childhood, took away all those closest to him. His inner sorrow and feelings of guilt prevent him from starting a new life with his girlfriend and son. Although the fire took everything, it now becomes a path to dealing with his trauma. Gifted director Peter Brunner ramps up the near physical intensity of the viewer’s experience via the thoughtful use of unspoken hints and images, which assail the associative processes of the subconscious rather than the rational mind.”

Eléonore Hendricks, Abbey Lee, Jana McKinnon, and Christos Haas co-star in the film. “To the Night” has yet to receive theatrical distribution.

Source: IndieWire film