Category: Looking at the Weekend

Of the week’s new releases only the animated sequel Hotel Transylvania 2 looks like a hit in the making. The original opened to $42 million and finished off just shy of $150 million. Nancy Myers’ combination of Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway isn’t likely to come close, but The Intern could come in a…

As much as I want to predict the young adult title taking the box office, Johnny Depp in a capital-A Acting performance should be just what the box office ordered after weeks of weak debuts. It has the makings of a sizable hit. Our Highest Rated Films: Black Mass, Everest, Sicario Our Best Awards Ratings:…

Could M. Night Shyamalan rise to the top of the box office for the first time in a long while? I doubt it. His horror film hasn’t gotten nearly enough press and The Perfect Guy looks more likely to triumph at the box office than anything else. Our Highest Rated Films: Coming Home Our Best…

You can tell it’s Memorial Day because the studios have dumped every film they have no confidence in on one weekend. Sure, it’s been a couple of weekends like that, but this one takes the case. Perhaps fans of the Transporter films are enamored enough that they’ll turn out, but I suspect it will be…

Apart from this being the last weekend in August, the upcoming Labor Day holiday means the studios are dumping everything they don’t suspect will be a hit into these remaining weeks. As such, the competition this week will be anemic with the little-advertised No Escape facing off against the teen-targeted We Are Your Friends. Neither…

The second weekend of Straight Outta Compton will be tough competition for a stoner comedy, but those types of films have done surprisingly well in recent years. This outing puts recognizable faces before the audience, giving them to see people acting totally different from what they’re used to. It’s a great sales tool unless you…

This will be an interesting weekend. Two very targeted pics enter the marketplace. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. will appeal to the type of moviegoer that made Sherlock Holmes a huge success. The main distinction is that it doesn’t have a huge star like Robert Downey Jr. involved. The other is Straight Outta Compton, which will…

The first hero team Marvel introduced also seems to have the hardest time getting fans to remain loyal to it. Fox hasn’t been as successful with their other Marvel property and this reboot has been earning some very mixed notices. It will still likely be enough for it to top the box office, but it…

The competition will be fierce this week with two major contenders for the box office crown. Tom Cruise has proven time and again that he has the ability to bring people to the theater. While he’s had some duds recently, the Mission: Impossible franchise has been nothing if not steady. Ghost Protocol revitalized a flagging…

Ant-Man may claim the top spot for a second week or Pixels could overcome its lackluster previews and post Adam Sandler’s biggest numbers in some time. Individual Commentaries Wesley Lovell: There aren’t very many good options this weekend with Southpaw being the only one I’m reasonably interested in. Peter J. Patrick: A little something for…

Marvel will once again rule the roost as the weekend’s top new release, but a strong second weekend of Minions could keep Marvel’s newest property out of the top spot. Individual Commentaries Wesley Lovell: This is a surprisingly wonderful week for movies. I’m less excited about Ant-Man than other Marvel properties. I’m more excited about…

After weeks of dominance by Jurassic World and Inside Out, the box office crown will finally be handed off to the cute little critters from the Despicable Me franchise. Individual Commentaries Wesley Lovell: Minions is where I’ll be. However, I could be convinced to check out Self/less too. Peter J. Patrick: Another good week for…

This weekend, a battle between strippers and Arnold Schwarzeneggar promises to be an interesting affair. Will this be a victory for male-targeted films or female-targeted films. It’s an excellent question, but early word suggests Terminator: Geneisys might be the better film, which will encourage more repeat business, which could ultimately boost its weekend total. Individual…

The original was a hit. The second probably will be as well. Can it beat the second week of Inside Out or the third week of Jurassic World. I’m not so sure. Individual Commentaries Wesley Lovell: Max seems like the better option of the wide releases, but overall this doesn’t appear to be a very…

Can Pixar’s latest top the second weekend of the massively popular Jurassic World. Normally, I would say yes, but this will end up as the ultimate test of girl vs. boy drawing power. Not saying either title is mutually exclusive, but one is clearly targeted at young men while the other is targeted at young…