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[xaosslug]

tomatometer:

52% The Boss Baby

71% Beauty and the Beast (2017)

39% Smurfs: The Lost Village

44% Going in Style (2017)

46% Ghost in the Shell (2017)
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83% The Case for Christ
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97% Your Name.
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63% Gifted

metacritic:

*click pic(s) for source*

‘Boss Baby’ Beats Up On ‘Smurfs: The Lost Village’

The Smurfs may be feeling kind of blue.

The cuddly creatures’ once-promising film franchise is looking awfully creaky after “Smurfs: The Lost Village” stumbled at the domestic box office this weekend. The Sony release opened to a negligible $14.1 million. The film was an attempt to reinvigorate the series after 2013’s “The Smurfs 2” racked up a disappointing $347.5 million on a hefty $105 million budget. It’s a fall from quite a height. The first film, 2011’s “The Smurfs,” had showed such promise, grossing $563.7 million globally, but interest in the big screen adventures of the cuddly creatures has waned with each sequel.

With the Smurfs failing to generate much excitement, DreamWorks Animation and Fox’s “The Boss Baby” captured first place at the North American box office for the second consecutive weekend, earning $26.3 million to push its domestic haul to $89.4 million. Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” came in second, pulling in $25 million to push its stateside grosses to a lordly $432.3 million.

This weekend is something of a throat clearing for the industry. “The Fate of the Furious,” the latest chapter in Universal’s long-running chronicle of vehicular carnage, is slated to roar into theaters next Friday. It should dominate ticket sales, racking up an $100 million debut and keeping Vin Diesel in designer tank tops for the foreseeable future.

New Line and Village Roadshow’s “Going in Style” took fourth place with $12.5 million. The comedy about three retirees who rob a bank stars Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin, and Michael Caine. It’s a low-budget remake of a 1979 comedy of the same name and cost $24 million to produce.

Paramount’s “Ghost in the Shell” rounded out the top five, grossing $7.3 million to bring its domestic gross to a disastrous $31.6 million. The Japanese magna adaptation is shaping up to be one of the year’s biggest bombs. Dogged by “whitewashing” controversy after Scarlett Johansson nabbed a part intended for an Asian actress, “Ghost in the Shell” won’t stand a chance of recouping its $110 million production budget.

Sony isn’t ready to wave the white flag on the Smurfs. The studio notes that the previous two films earned more than 70% of their gross from foreign markets. The studio is also pleased with the film’s A CinemaScore, a sign that audiences are responding to the picture.

“We delivered a film that I think is the best yet,” said Rory Bruer, Sony’s domestic distribution chief. “Word-of-mouth should be strong.”

Sony also reined in costs. “Smurfs: The Lost Village” has a $60 million production budget, a fraction of the previous two entries’ price tag. However, the weak result extends a punishing period for Sony. The studio has been dogged by bombs such as “Life” and “Inferno,” while highly anticipated releases such as “Passengers,” a science-fiction romance with Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, struggled to turn a profit.

In limited release, “Their Finest” opened on four screens in New York and Los Angeles to $77,000 for a per-screen average of $19,250. The comedy is set in World War II era London and follows a troop of propaganda filmmakers. EuropaCorp bought the picture out of the Toronto Film Festival — STX is distributing “Their Finest” on its behalf.

More to come…

*click pic for full list/source*


*click pic for full list/source*

 

[ezekial45]

Damn, GITS got blown the fuck out.

EDIT: I wish Power Rangers was doing better, though. I was really surprised by that movie.

 

[Ray Down]

Jesus GiTS is doing horrible here.

 

[kswiston]

Worldwide Updates

Beauty and the Beast - $977M
Logan - $597M
Kong - $534M
The LEGO Movie - $301M
The Boss Baby - $200M
Ghost in the Shell - $124M

 

[vinnygambini]

Went to see Ghost in the Shell yesterday; though the visuals are on point, the story and pacing was quite bland (never seen the original source material) - cool intro, and then exposition for 1 hour, and then ok finale. Could have been a lot better.

 

[broncobuster]

What a sad top five.

 

[IdreamofHIME]

How did Chips have he same budget as Smurfs?

 

[BlackGoku03]

Only the biggest bombs. The biggest.


Will the right lessons be learned from GiTS?



lol no

 

[Slayven]

Old people doing wacky things never goes out of style.

 

[HStallion]

Ghost in the Box Office

 

[kswiston]

How did Chips have he same budget as Smurfs?

You are reading the wrong lines

 

[lightskintwin]

How did Chips have he same budget as Smurfs?

They don't. I think you're mixing up Going in Style with Smurfs budget.

 

[Slayven]

You are reading the wrong lines

I was about to say 60 million for Dax and Pena would be a crime. And I like Pena

 

[Bronx-Man]

I'm just waiting for when GitS finally gets erased from the cultural conversation.

 

[Draconian]

The slow rollout of Trainspotting 2 is infuriating. 17 more theaters this week? Ridiculous.

 

[ElBoxyBrown]

RIP GitS
RIP Smurfs
RIP Going in Style? (Maybe not?)

Fate about to clean up.

 

[Slayven]

how did GITS not lose any theaters?

 

[Sibersk Esto]

Smurfs is a nice example of a poisoned well.

 

[Ridley327]

how did GITS not lose any theaters?

Just wait until schedules are posted this week. F8 is going to swallow up those screens.

 

[kswiston]

how did GITS not lose any theaters?

Other than limited releases and stuff from minor distributors, films are typically locked in for 2 weeks.

Edit: Jem and the Holograms actually went up 4 venues in weekend 2 and then was pulled from theatres altogether in weekend 3.

 

[……forgetit]

how did GITS not lose any theaters?

What would they replace it with?

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Caught a trailer for Gifted this weekend, looks like 2 hours of schmaltzy white people problems with a token black woman on hand to dispense sass and magical wisdom one-liners to the struggling Captain America and his evil mother. Oscar noms incoming.

 

[Slayven]

Smurfs is a nice example of a poisoned well.

My child no!!!

Other than limited releases and stuff from minor distributors, films are typically locked in for 2 weeks.

So is F8 officially the first movie of the summer? Or GOTG 2

What would they replace it with?

More showing of boss baby

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

Ghost in the Box Office

Ghost in the Seats

 

[SuperBanana]

How does Sony's film studio even exist anymore? So any bombs. You'd think they'd at least change up the management.

 

[kswiston]

My child no!!!


So is F8 officially the first movie of the summer? Or GOTG 2

Technically GOTG2, but it might as well have been Logan this year.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

I do not get why the sequel to Trainspotting is being rolled out like a low-key A24 acquisition.

And yeah, first weekend of May is when "Summer" starts for box-office purposes. I don't think they can actually push it back any further.

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Beauty and the Beast was decent.

 

[broncobuster]

Next week, though

 

[Slayven]

Caught a trailer for Gifted this weekend, looks like 2 hours of schmaltzy white people problems with a token black woman on hand to dispense sass and magical wisdom one-liners to the struggling Captain America and his evil mother. Oscar noms incoming.

Octavia Spencer has quite the niche

I do not get why the sequel to Trainspotting is being rolled out like a low-key A24 acquisition.

And yeah, first weekend of May is when "Summer" starts for box-office purposes. I don't think they can actually push it back any further.

I was kid when Trainspotting came out, more people are probably waiting for Blade Runner 2

 

[ElBoxyBrown]

Ghost in the Box Office

Ghost in the Seats

Remember, the ghost is your self. Got it?

 

[ryutaro's mama]

Ghost in the Box Office

Would have been a superior, succinct thread title.

Take notes, xao.

 

[Draconian]

I do not get why the sequel to Trainspotting is being rolled out like a low-key A24 acquisition.

I'm beginning to wonder if it's ever getting a wide release. What a joke.

I was kid when Trainspotting came out, more people are probably waiting for Blade Runner 2

That doesn't mean the audience isn't there for a nationwide release. It's been out for a month and hasn't even hit 200 screens. It's absurd.

 

[Sibersk Esto]

The slow rollout of Trainspotting 2 is infuriating. 17 more theaters this week? Ridiculous.

I do not get why the sequel to Trainspotting is being rolled out like a low-key A24 acquisition.

And yeah, first weekend of May is when "Summer" starts for box-office purposes. I don't think they can actually push it back any further.

10-year old sequel to a kind of obscure movie probably isn't going to be distributed with alot of confidence.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

I'm not saying it needs to be a big rollout with accompanying marketing campaign, but I don't know that it's hit 500 theaters in the US yet.

It's weird.

10-year old sequel to a kind of obscure movie probably isn't going to be distributed with alot of confidence.

This would carry more weight with me if it hadn't been proven very recently that really late sequels are a thing audiences don't mind checking out when they're told about it. Also I don't think Trainspotting is really all that obscure.

If you can't be somewhat confident distributing Trainspotting 2, (of all the goddamn things)... I mean, the marketing that does exist seems confident enough in selling the movie.

 

[cw_sasuke]

Cant wait for The Fate of the Furious - F everything else.

 

[JohnDrake]

I am ready to see Power Rangers and Ghost in the Shell dropping 70% each next weekend.

Sony meanwhile has another big bomb right after Life also flopping in March.

 

[ryutaro's mama]

Cant wait for The Fate of the Furious - F everything else.

My man.

 

[Insane Metal]

Remember, the ghost is your self. Got it?

But your ghost is in a shell. Got it?

Lol what a POS of a movie. Jesus.

 

[broncobuster]

Octavia Spencer has quite the niche

The Shack and Gifted back to back, both with Octavia playing the same role.

 

[ryutaro's mama]

The Shack and Gifted back to back, both with Octavia playing the same role.

A familiar trope I loathe seeing every time.

 

[BronsonLee]

I think xao purposely thinks up the thread titles just to offend me

 

[alfredofroylan]

Well, I think it's time to pack it up the Smurf franchise.

 

[Violence Jack]

I didn't know they were still making Smurfs movies. Why didn't Sony make it straight to video?

I expected a +70% drop for GitS. I guess overseas didn't save it as much as some thought it would.

 

[Elandyll]

How does Sony's film studio even exist anymore? So any bombs. You'd think they'd at least change up the management.

They actually turned up a profit last quarter (about $40m)?

The big tests this year will be The Dark Tower, The Emoji Movie (which after the success of Angry Birds and Trolls I won't dismiss out of hand) and of course Spider-Man Homecoming which in theory should all make bank if they're half decent (Jumanji is a big question mark, but not holding my breath).

2018 looks packed already: Venom, Proud Mary, Cadaver, Slenderman, Holmes and Watson (Etan Cohen), Barbie movie, Goosebump2, Hotel Transylvania 3...

Just wish they wouldn't rely so much on stupid pop culture franchises (but, like Angry Birds, they tend to make money).

Edit: oh and RE Final Chapter did REALLY good on its budget.

 

[HabeeNo]

What's the WW for Power Rangers? Loved the movie, really hope they make a sequel

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Uh oh.

The Fate of the Furious is this franchise's Die Another Day
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire

 

[kswiston]

And yeah, first weekend of May is when "Summer" starts for box-office purposes. I don't think they can actually push it back any further.

March 2017 having a bigger total box office than any May ever sort of shows how artificial the "start of blockbuster season" part of May is.

Mid June to Late August is the true Summer box office, since kids being out of school leads to much more important weekday tallies. Movies aimed at all ages audiences tend to have better legs in summer. People will watch big blockbusters whenever though.

 

[lightskintwin]

Caught a trailer for Gifted this weekend, looks like 2 hours of schmaltzy white people problems with a token black woman on hand to dispense sass and magical wisdom one-liners to the struggling Captain America and his evil mother. Oscar noms incoming.

I don't know the full context within the film, but I saw in a review that the reviewer commented that Octavia Spencer's character questions Chris Evans character for hiring a Black lawyer instead of a White lawyer. LOL

Now admittedly this could make perfect sense to the scene and the character for her to do this, but the reviewer thought it was bad.

 

[greatestjediever]

Just got back from GitS. My lord, what a mess that movie was. I've never seen the original material but if it's anything like that I'm glad I didn't.