Looking at the Weekend: Jul. 22-24, 2016

A pitched battle will occur this weekend as the third in the rebooted Star Trek franchise goes up against the fifth film in the Ice Age trilogy (that’s what the trailers call it). The Ice Age films have opened fairly consistently between $41 and $46 with the second film the lone outlier at $68 million. By comparison, the prior to Trek films have opened right around the $70-$75 million range. If both perform up to those expectations, Trek will end up on top. The problem for Trek is that the second film wasn’t very well received and might cause a depression in the box office tally. Meanwhile, world events being what they are, families may want to take their kids to see something uplifting (and for themselves as well). So, it could be a tighter fight than expected.

Our Highest Rated Films: Star Trek: Beyond, Don’t Think Twice
Our Best Awards Ratings: Star Trek: Beyond (Oscars)

OTHER LIMITED RELEASES

Beta Test
Madaari
Summertime
Train to Busan

Jul. 22-24, 2016
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Ice Age: Collision Course (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	3.0 Wesley Lovell: (5) 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): The first film was OK, but the subsequent films have been atrocious. I’m not holding out hope for this one. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Ugly looking cartoon movie. I’ll pass. Tripp Burton (TB): I haven’t seen any of the Ice Age films (somehow my kids never got sucked into them), but if you are then this probably will be entertaining. Thomas LaTourette (TL): I had enjoyed the previous incarnations of Ice Age, but this one looks like it is trying for the lowest common denominator and just looks bad.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Lights Out (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	4.5 Wesley Lovell: (6) Peter J. Patrick: (5) Tripp Burton: (4) Thomas LaTourrette: (3)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): The original short film was terrifying. This film like its overplaying its hand by dragging the concept out to feature-length. Peter J. Patrick (PP): What would happen if they just kept the lights on? Looks like a standard modern horror film. Tripp Burton (TB): Another generic looking horror film. Thomas LaTourette (TL): The trailer makes it look like a relatively competent horror film, but those just aren’t my cup of tea, so I will pass.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Star Trek: Beyond (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	6.3 Wesley Lovell: (2) Peter J. Patrick: (9) Tripp Burton: (7) Thomas LaTourrette: (7)	2.8 Wesley Lovell: (4,Oscars) Peter J. Patrick: (5,Oscars) Tripp Burton: (2,Oscars) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: Makeup (WL,TB) Sound Mixing (WL,PP,TB) Sound Editing (WL,PP,TB) Visual Effects (WL,PP,TB)
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): It’s been two decades since this franchise produced a worthy picture and nothing in this trailer or in the press surrounding it has convinced me it will be anything but more of the same. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Fifty years on, the star trek franchise remains intriguing. Here’s hoping the third entry in the reboot is better than the second. Tripp Burton (TB): I like the new Star Trek series much more than most of the others around here, but without J.J. at the helm I’m a little nervous about this one. Thomas LaTourette (TL): I would like to be more excited by this, but the trailer looked slick and cold. Still, the last two movies were fun, so I hope that this one will be too.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	5.5 Wesley Lovell: (10) Peter J. Patrick: (5) 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): The TV series was a blast and while the trailer doesn’t look funny, those who’ve seen it says it’s as funny as the show even when it’s uneven. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Frantic looking film version of long-running British TV series should appeal to its built-in audience. Tripp Burton (TB): I never found the TV show funny, so I’m not rushing to this one. Thomas LaTourette (TL): I always felt that I was in the minority as I was never that big a fan of the television series, and this looks like more of the same, only on a bigger scale.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Don’t Think Twice (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	6.3 Wesley Lovell: (5) Peter J. Patrick: (5) Tripp Burton: (9) Thomas LaTourrette: (6)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): Comedians being cut-throat for a gig while being funny. It sounds like it might be a bit too meta for its own good. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Low wattage comedy about struggling comedians who probably shouldn’t give up their day jobs. Tripp Burton (TB): I’m excited about this film. Thomas LaTourette (TL): The critics are warmly receiving this film, but the trailer does not thrill me that much.