June 17, 2018

Pixar to the Rescue! ‘Incredibles 2’ Sets Records, and Revives Hope for the Summer Box Office

With an $180 million opening weekend, Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” set indisputable opening records. Perhaps even better: it countered any fears stoked by “Solo: A Star Wars Story” that no franchise was safe.

A $125 million opening for “Incredibles 2” would have been excellent. It’s been more than decade later since the original, which grossed less than “Finding Nemo.” However, this sequel opened close to 20 percent better than the record-breaking sequel “Finding Dory.” It also bested the even-bigger openings for the second and third “Shrek” films (adjusted, both around $160 million).

We don’t see many films that qualify as “best evers,” but “Incredibles 2” is one of them.

Pixar

It is the second-biggest June opening ever, falling about $50 million short of “Jurassic World.” Among PG-rated films, it is just behind last year’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast” — which it could best when Sunday totals are more than estimates.

The gross looks even better when compared to other recent Pixar releases. At $180 million, that’s just $30 million less than “Coco” made in its entire run, and $24 million more than the total gross for “Cars 3” last June. Based on typical multiples  for top Pixar titles, the total gross should approach $600 million; at $650 million, it would equal “Shrek 2.”

There was more great news for Pixar in international openings. The World Cup impacts that calendar, and only about a quarter of countries opened, but at $51 million they were strong. This is significant, since lately Pixar has seen weakness in its releases compared to the top animated films from Universal and 20th Century Fox.

Kyle Kaplan

Elsewhere, two wide openers had combined earnings of barely 11 percent of “Incredibles 2.” The stronger was “Tag,” an action/comedy with Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, and Ed Helms aimed for Fathers Day, which managed $14.6 million. Not awful, and better still with its $28 million budget, but it will need to have a decent hold and some future foreign interest to score.

“Superfly,” a remake of the 1972 renegade blaxploitation film, opened Wednesday with an $8.4 million five-day total. It cost up to $20 million (some estimates lower) and will have little international appeal, so might have to depend on a heftier post-theatrical boost.

Overall, the weekend will come in close to $270 million as the third best for the year (trailing opening weekends for “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War.”) That boosts year-to-date totals to more than six percent over 2017. “Jurassic World: Fallen World” opens in North America next weekend, and it’s already at $370 million overseas. It remains to be seen if it will be closer to “Solo” or “Incredibles 2” in domestic appeal, but after this big weekend there’s a sense that for top titles, the interest is still there.

The second weekend of “Ocean’s 8” dropped 53 percent, about the same as “Ocean’s 12.” The industry norm is that female-centric titles often hold second weekends better; “The Book Club” fell only 25 percent its second weekend, but “Ocean’s” was likely hurt by the broad appeal of “Incredibles 2.”

Barry Wetcher

Expect “Ocean’s 8” to reach $110 million-$115 million domestic. That’s the lowest adjusted for the franchise, but with equal foreign interest (due to typical shortfall for female titles) it will be a gamble that paid off for Warner Bros.

The surprise this weekend was “Hereditary” (A24), which despite a D+ Cinemascore, held in respectably. The $10 million production, with likely lower than typical marketing costs, is up to $27 million, and should make $35 million domestic at a minimum. That would be $10 million more than “The Witch” and “Ex-Machina,” and nearly triple “It Comes at Night,” all previous A24 genre releases.

The Top Ten

1. Incredibles 2 (Disney) NEW – Cinemascore: A+; Metacritic: 80; Est. budget: $200 million (unconfirmed)

$180,000,000 in 4,410 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $40,816; Cumulative: $180,000,000

2. Ocean’s 8 (Warner Bros.) Week 2; Last weekend #1

$19,555,000 (-53%) in 4,145 theaters (no change); PTA: $4,718; Cumulative: $79,175,000

3. Tag (Warner Bros.) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 57; Est. budget: $28 billion

$14,600,000 in 3,382 theaters; PTA: $4,317; Cumulative: $14,600,000

4. Solo: A Star Wars Story (Disney) Week 4; Last weekend #2

$9,081,000 (-42%) in 3,182 theaters (-1,153); PTA: $2,854; Cumulative: $192,845,000

5. Deadpool 2 (20th Century Fox) Week 5; Last weekend #3

$8,800,000 (-38%) in 3,212 theaters (-458); PTA: $2,740; Cumulative: $294,681,000

6. Hereditary (A24) Week 2; Last weekend #4

$7,026,000 (-48%) in 2,998 theaters (+34); PTA: $2,344; Cumulative: $27,187,000

7. Superfly (Sony) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 54; Est. budget: $20 million

$6,300,000 in 2,220 theaters; PTA: $2,838; Cumulative: $8,441,000

8. Avengers: Infinity War (Disney) Week 8; Last weekend #5

$5,296,000 (-27%) in 2,164 theaters (-718); PTA: $2,447; Cumulative: $664,200,000

9. Adrift (STX) Week 3; Last weekend #6

$2,100,000 (-60%) in 1,929 theaters (-1,086); PTA: $1,089; Cumulative: $26,805,000

10. Book Club (Paramount) Week 5; Last weekend #7

$1,850,000 (-57%) in 1,656 theaters (-1,146); PTA: $1,117; Cumulative: $62,000,000

 

 

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Source: IndieWire film

June 17, 2018

‘Cocote’ Trailer: Carlo De Los Santos’ Festival Favorite Blends Revenge, Religion, and Ritual — Watch

After making the festival rounds at Locarno, Toronto, and New Directors/New Films, “Cocote” finally gets a theatrical release. Nelson Carlo De Los Santos’ crime drama won the top prize in Locarno’s experimental Signs of Life program and has won acclaim everywhere else it’s screened, leading to a pickup by arthouse favorite Grasshopper Film. Watch the new trailer below.

Read More:  Locarno in Los Angeles 2018 Announces an Award-Winning Second Edition Led by ‘Mrs. Fang,’ ‘Cocote,’ and More

Offering glimpses of a few key scenes, the trailer sets up the film’s mix of revenge, religion, and ritual: A man’s father has died, and no one who knew him has received closure, and unresolved feelings lead to bad situations.

Here’s the synopsis: “A rapturous crime fable set in the Dominican Republic, Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias’ ‘Cocote’ follows Alberto, a kind-hearted gardener returning home to attend his father’s funeral. When he discovers that a powerful local figure is responsible for his father’s death, Alberto realizes that he’s been summoned by his family to avenge the murder. It’s an unthinkable act — especially for him, an Evangelical Christian. But as pressure mounts, he sees few ways out. Questions of faith, tradition and honor course through this electrifying film, which, seemingly at the speed of thought itself, jumps between film formats, colors, and aspect ratios, radically envisioning a community torn asunder by senseless violence.”

Vicente Santos, Judith Rodríguez, Yuberbi de la Rosa, Pedro Sierra, Isabel Spencer, and José Miguel Fernander star in “Cocote,” which Grasshopper will release in New York July 27.

Source: IndieWire film

June 17, 2018

‘Lucid’: Billy Zane Just Made a Movie with a Blind Director — and Didn’t Even Realize It

Adam Morse’s debut feature is about to have its world premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival, an impressive feat for any budding filmmaker. It’s doubly so for Morse, however, as the writer/director has just publicly revealed that he’s legally blind. In a Guardian interview, Morse says he wanted “to stop focusing on the limitations and instead concentrate on what I could do.”

He did so with the help of his cinematographer, Michel Dierickx, as well as a 60-inch monitor and screen reader. Though the filmmaker’s director of photography was aware of his visual impairment from the outset, one person was not: star Billy Zane. “Billy didn’t know, and I only told him two days after we started filming. He didn’t believe me,” Morse said.

He also concealed his condition from at least one financier until “Lucid” had already screened for test audiences. “I didn’t want [the investors] to find out and then pull the plug on us,” he said. “I had that anxiety of being found out every time I went to a meeting with one of them. I would bump into something or they would point to something across the room or on the screen of their phone and I would have to fake it — pretend that I knew what they were looking at … None of them were any the wiser about my condition thankfully.”

“Lucid” concerns a therapist (Zane) who suggests that a patient experiment with lucid dreaming. It will have its world premiere June 23. Morse’s intent in making the film is clear: “I just want to inspire those who lack faith in the universe, spread a positive message and lead by example.”

Source: IndieWire film

June 17, 2018

Samuel L. Jackson Shrugs Off Criticism for Allegedly Homophobic Tweet: ‘They Just Keep Tryin’

Samuel L. Jackson has never been much for self censorship, and has come under fire for his most recent tweet about the Donald trump administration: “Must have been a party at The White House, Mitch [McConnell], Paul [Ryan], Rudy [Giuliani] & others were spotted wearing knee pads & carrying these lined up outside. Happy Birthday.”

Accompanying the tweet is a photo of “After Dick Mints,” a novelty item that comes with the tagline “Going down?” According to Page Six, “Firefly” actor Adam Baldwin responded, “Gay shaming?” in a since-deleted tweet. More than 1,500 people have responded to Jackson’s tweet, some in support and some in anger. Judging by his Instagram, Jackson seems unfazed:

 

Must have been a party at The White House, Mitch, Paul, Rudy & others were spotted wearing knee pads & carrying these lined up outside. Happy Birthday pic.twitter.com/VzTokZoUjg

— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) June 15, 2018

Source: IndieWire film

June 17, 2018

Documentaries Rock the Specialty Box Office: ‘Gotti’ Ain’t Got It

Three documentaries are kings of the specialty box office. “Eating Animals” (IFC) had a stellar Manhattan opening, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (Focus) continued to pack houses on its  second weekend, and “RBG” (Magnolia) is now over $10 million and looking for more.

The question is how the two established hits will expand to general audience theaters. Still, documentaries remain a stronger bet than conventional narrative films these days, even with a festival pedigree. Even the promising “First Reformed” (A24) faded as it went wider; in this market it’s tough to get to $3 million.

“Gotti” (MoviePass/Vertical) is the odd man out here, a star-driven biopic that thanks to its Cannes premiere tested the theatrical waters rather than take its planned streaming release. Despite terrible reviews, “Gotti” wasn’t a total disaster, but hardly marked the return to prominence producer-star John Travolta had hoped for.

Opening

Gotti (Vertical) – Metacritic: 27; Festivals include: Cannes 2018

$1,670,000 in 503 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $3,320

Yes, the reviews are bad. The gross at national top-grossing theaters was modest, but did get some sampling at most locations.

Still, the question is whether the expense of this limited theatrical play will realize better returns than the original plan. Rights to the film switched after Lionsgate planned to give this a token release parallel to streaming.

What comes next: In the heart of the summer at the level of theaters at which this is playing it will be a struggle to hold more than token shows.

Eating Animals (IFC) – Metacritic: 71; Festivals include: Telluride 2017

$35,215 in 2 theaters; PTA: $17,607

Another example of the elevated appeal, at least initially, in documentaries at the moment. This expose of mass animal farming makes a larger case for the damage meat eating does to the world. It opened in two Manhattan theaters to excellent numbers. This could be a case of elevated interest among activists. But if so, that isn’t limited to just New York and this could find at least initial specialized theater response across the country.

What comes next: More cities open this Friday, including the Landmark in Los Angeles.

Week Two

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (Focus)

$985,000 in 96 theaters (+67); PTA: $10,253; Cumulative: $1,693,000

Very strong numbers for this documentary on Fred Rogers in its second weekend. The PTA is roughly on par with the same frame for “RBG.” The lack of a tribal political context for this might make the future appeal less intense on one level, but could bring wider interest. That will be further tested as it expands to over 300 theaters this Friday. Meantime, a gross similar to “RBG” seems likely.

Jon Pack

Hearts Beat Loud (Gunpowder & Sky)

$249,581 in 83 theaters (+79); PTA: $3,007; Cumulative: $348,453

Musician dad and college-bound daughter expand their at home jam sessions into surprise popular success. Nick Offerman in a rare lead (“Hereditary” star Toni Collete lends support) adds to the appeal for this Sundance buy that quickly expanded to numbers. Whether it can hold at this level will determine its position for a lengthy run or wider exposure. That’s the gamble distributors are increasingly taking — get a film out aggressively shortly after opening and hope that word of mouth does the trick.

Ongoing/expanding (Grosses over $50,000)

RBG (Magnolia) Week 7

$483,000 in 290 theaters (-85); Cumulative: $10,102,000

This Magnolia/Participant Media documentary has passed the $10 million mark. That’s rare, and puts it puts ahead of uber-hits “Amy,” “I Am Not Your Negro,” and “Waiting for Superman.” The next target: beat recently-pardoned Dinesh D’Souza’s “Hillary’s America,” which is currently $4 million ahead.

First Reformed (A24) Week 5

$329,500 in 273 theaters (-61); Cumulative: $2,405,000

The wider break for Paul Schrader’s acclaimed crisis of faith drama isn’t yielding results similar to the early weeks. Remaining theaters did hold their drop to around 25 per cent.

American Animals (The Orchard) Week 3

$216,731 in 72 theaters (+30); Cumulative: $760,617

This recreation (with participation from the actual perpetrators) of a Kentucky college library rare book heist continues to add top markets. It’s nabbing a modest response so far, with numbers at a similar level to “First Reformed.”

Sony Pictures Classics

The Seagull (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 6

$144,760 in 211 theaters (+122); Cumulative: $873,596

The trio of Bening, Ronan, and Moss in Chekhov continues to struggle to gain much traction as SPC gets it out to most of the country.

2001: A Space Odyssey (Warner Bros.) Week 5  (reissue)

$80,000 in 13 theaters (+8); Cumulative: $853,000

The 70mm reissue expanded to more cities in what will continue to be a very limited run (because of few theaters with capacity to play).

The Rider (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 10

$72,802 in 94 theaters (-94); Cumulative: $2,118,000

Late in its run, Chloe Zhao’s high-end acclaimed contemporary Western has passed $2 million but never seemed to find an audience equal to its acclaim. These days $2-3 million has become the default  likely gross for all but a few breakout titles.

Also noted:

Beast (Roadside Attractions) – $29,100 in 49 theaters; Cumulative: $763,410

On Chesil Beach (Bleecker Street) – $27,060 in 73 theaters; Cumulative: $677.257

Summer 1993 (Oscilloscope) – $20,500 in theaters; Cumulative: $98,624

Pope Francis – A Man of His Word (Focus) – $15,000 in theaters; Cumulative: $1,840,000

The Guardians (Music Box) – $10,256 in 8 theaters; Cumulative: $10,256

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Source: IndieWire film