Posted

in

by

Tags:


A week of competition awaits us. While the last several weeks have seen mostly one-man competitions, this promises to be a weekend where different reactions to the film release could result in different outcomes. Although the second weekend of War for the Planet of the Apes will be a decent one, the two films battling it out for the top spot are new releases. In terms of openings, outside of the Batman trilogy he directed, Christopher Nolan’s films have either opened soft (The Prestige, Insomnia) or solidly (Inception, Interstellar). This gives Dunkirk an opportunity to open between $40 million and $60 million. The best comparison I can think of to Dunkirk is Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. That film opened to $30 million in 1998, which translates to about $57 million today. That seems like a good target for this film.

The other competitor is Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets from director Luc Besson. Besson hasn’t had a lot of box office luck. Only two of his films, adjusted for inflation, have topped $100 million at the overall box office. Only one of those (Lucy) had a major opening ($43 million). The Fifth Element wasn’t too far behind with an adjusted $32 million opening. Since this film feels more akin to Fifth Element than Lucy, a $30-$40 million opening seems solid. However, the film has been heavily advertised and looks gorgeous. Science fiction has done a bit better at the box office than it did when Fifth Element released in 1997, so it could add another $10 to $30 million to that total putting it on a collision course with Dunkirk. Who will win? We’ll find out in a week.

Our Highest Rated Films: Dunkirk
Our Best Awards Ratings: Dunkirk (Oscars); Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (Oscars)

OTHER LIMITED RELEASES

Scales: Mermaids Are Real
The Midwife (Read our Looking at the Weekend commentary here.)

Jul. 21-23, 2017

Film

Our Thoughts

Awards Chances

Dunkirk

(Wide Release)
See the original CinemaSight
Trailer & Poster Preview

9.3
Wesley Lovell: (8)
Peter J. Patrick: (10)
Tripp Burton: (9)
Thomas LaTourrette: (10)

9.5
Wesley Lovell: (10,Oscars)
Peter J. Patrick: (10,Oscars)
Tripp Burton: (9,Oscars)
Thomas LaTourrette: (9,Oscars)
Categories:

  • Picture (WL,PP,TB,TL)
  • Director (WL,PP,TB,TL)
  • Supporting Actor (TB,TL)
  • Original Screenplay (WL,PP,TB)
  • Original Score (WL,PP,TB,TL)
  • Film Editing (WL,TB,TL)
  • Cinematography (WL,PP,TB,TL)
  • Production Design (WL,TB,TL)
  • Costume Design (WL,TB)
  • Makeup (TL)
  • Sound Mixing (WL,PP,TB,TL)
  • Sound Editing (WL,PP,TB,TL)
  • Visual Effects (WL,PP,TB,TL)

Individual Commentary:

Wesley Lovell (WL): I have enjoyed most of Christopher Nolan’s films, so this should be no exception. I don’t love war films, but I’ll give it a go.
Peter J. Patrick (PP): One of the year’s most eagerly awaited films with great advance word.
Tripp Burton (TB): I usually don’t get too excited for the new Christopher Nolan film, a director who has overwhelmed me more than not, but the buzz on this sounds too good to not get excited about.
Thomas LaTourette (TL): I am looking forward to this one. It looks to be an action packed true story told in great and terrifying detail.

Film

Our Thoughts

Awards Chances

Girls Trip

(Wide Release)
See the original CinemaSight
Trailer & Poster Preview

4.0
Wesley Lovell: (6)
Peter J. Patrick: (3)
Tripp Burton: (2)
Thomas LaTourrette: (5)

Nil
Wesley Lovell: (Nil)
Peter J. Patrick: (Nil)
Tripp Burton: (Nil)
Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)
Categories:

  • None

Individual Commentary:

Wesley Lovell (WL): I may be alone in this, but I think it looks quite fun.
Peter J. Patrick (PP): Another week, another lame comedy.
Tripp Burton (TB): This does nothing for me.
Thomas LaTourette (TL): This looks a little more grown up than the usual film about friends getting back together. Even though the reviews are good, the trailer sparked little excitement for me.

Film

Our Thoughts

Awards Chances

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

(Wide Release)
See the original CinemaSight
Trailer & Poster Preview

5.8
Wesley Lovell: (7)
Peter J. Patrick: (4)
Tripp Burton: (7)
Thomas LaTourrette: (5)

2.5
Wesley Lovell: (4,Oscars)
Peter J. Patrick: (Nil)
Tripp Burton: (3,Oscars)
Thomas LaTourrette: (3,Oscars)
Categories:

  • Original Score (WL)
  • Production Design (WL,TB,TL)
  • Costume Design (WL,TB)
  • Makeup (WL,TB)
  • Sound Mixing (WL,TB)
  • Sound Editing (WL,TB)
  • Visual Effects (WL,TB,TL)

Individual Commentary:

Wesley Lovell (WL): Luc Besson hasn’t made a great movie in some time. This looks more akin to The Fifth Element than anything, which gives it bonus point in my book.
Peter J. Patrick (PP): For Luc Besson fans, of which I’ve never been one.
Tripp Burton (TB): I have no idea what to make of this, but it looks like it could be a lot of fun.
Thomas LaTourette (TL): It could be a glorious sci-fi film, though it looks and sounds more like a glorious mess. The trailer does boast some arresting visuals, and a few laughable ones too.

Film

Our Thoughts

Awards Chances

The Fencer

(Limited Release)
See the original CinemaSight
Trailer & Poster Preview

5.3
Wesley Lovell: (4)
Peter J. Patrick: (6)
Tripp Burton: (4)
Thomas LaTourrette: (7)

Nil
Wesley Lovell: (Nil)
Peter J. Patrick: (Nil)
Tripp Burton: (Nil)
Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)
Categories:

  • None

Individual Commentary:

Wesley Lovell (WL): It could be good, but it’s not exactly an interesting subject to me.
Peter J. Patrick (PP): Finnish entry at last year’s Oscars is at least worth a look.
Tripp Burton (TB): I’ve heard good things about this, but I’m also not in any rush to catch it.
Thomas LaTourette (TL): A cross between the uplifting teacher of Dead Poets Society and more serious historical oppression, it should be a worthwhile film.

Film

Our Thoughts

Awards Chances

The Gracefield Incident

(Limited Release)
See the original CinemaSight
Trailer & Poster Preview

2.0
Wesley Lovell: (1)
Peter J. Patrick: (2)
Tripp Burton: (3)
Thomas LaTourrette: (2)

Nil
Wesley Lovell: (Nil)
Peter J. Patrick: (Nil)
Tripp Burton: (Nil)
Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)
Categories:

  • None

Individual Commentary:

Wesley Lovell (WL): One more crappy found footage alien invasion film.
Peter J. Patrick (PP): Another low-budget horror movie. I’ll pass.
Tripp Burton (TB): I can’t keep any of these horror films straight anymore, but this doesn’t look like I’ll mind not seeing it.
Thomas LaTourette (TL): A found footage film dealing with sci-fi terrors rather than witchcraft might be a step up, but it looks like it will be more of the usual.

Film

Our Thoughts

Awards Chances

Landline

(Limited Release)
See the original CinemaSight
Trailer & Poster Preview

3.8
Wesley Lovell: (3)
Peter J. Patrick: (4)
Tripp Burton: (4)
Thomas LaTourrette: (4)

Nil
Wesley Lovell: (Nil)
Peter J. Patrick: (Nil)
Tripp Burton: (Nil)
Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)
Categories:

  • None

Individual Commentary:

Wesley Lovell (WL): There are elements in the trailer that make it look like it might be interesting, but not enough of them.
Peter J. Patrick (PP): Quirky comedy looks too frenetic for my taste.
Tripp Burton (TB): I had no patience for Obvious Child, the last film by this group of filmmakers, but the word out of Sundance is so strong I will certainly check it out eventually.
Thomas LaTourette (TL): It wants to be serious family drama, but I think it will get too caught up in itself to matter much.

Film

Our Thoughts

Awards Chances

The Untamed

(Limited Release)
See the original CinemaSight
Trailer & Poster Preview

4.3
Wesley Lovell: (1)
Peter J. Patrick: (5)
Tripp Burton: (7)
Thomas LaTourrette: (4)

Nil
Wesley Lovell: (Nil)
Peter J. Patrick: (Nil)
Tripp Burton: (Nil)
Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)
Categories:

  • None

Individual Commentary:

Wesley Lovell (WL): This is supposed to be a sexual sci-fi film, but nothing in the trailer even remotely suggests that.
Peter J. Patrick (PP): Latin American sci-fi is at least something different.
Tripp Burton (TB): This looks really intriguing to me.
Thomas LaTourette (TL): The premise is somewhat intriguing, but the trailer left me cold, even with a lot of rave reviews.

Verified by MonsterInsights