LonePirate

Peter Rabbit continues to hop its way to $100M even if the hops are shorter now. Easter should help it clear that big milestone.

FYC

There will be two James Cameron films on my list but the blue humanoids and the big ship will not be making an appearance.

Basic Instinct had unbelievable buzz when it was released. Granted, most of it was due to Sharon Stone’s legendary performance as well as the headlines grabbing interrogation scene; but the movie is an excellent thriller from a time when Hollywood made great thrillers. Those days are no more, sadly. Basic Instinct will definitely be on my list. I’m not sure exactly where it will be other than it is a top 50 movie for me.

FYC

I need to think about this. I am guessing at least one fourth of my choices will appear nowhere else.

The wins by Deakins and Peele were the highlights of the show and awards season this year. The cinematography and visual effects for BR2049 were superb. Deakins has had better work but he was long overdue and his work this year was still better than anything else on screens in 2017. That sex scene in BR2049 was easily the most remarkable visual effect I saw all year so that win was also deserved. It was great to see Peele win for Original Screenplay as it was well deserved. I certainly would have preferred him also claiming the trifecta with wins for Directing and Picture but at least he won for his screenplay. I look forward to his work in the future. Overall, it was a good show despite the insane running time.

While I applaud this film for harkening back to the 1980s high school comedies like Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink and some others, I am just not feeling much buzz for it. $10M OW and $26M DOM seem like ceilings to me.

That bunny joke will definitely draw in parents who dread taking their kids to another boring animated film. That bit alone could have been isolated into its own teaser and it would have been the successful teaser I have seen in a long time. The rest of the trailer is fine but that ending really makes it go out with a memorable bang. Ralph should have been Disney’s big Christmas release, not Mary Poppins, although Ralph should still earn plenty of bucks into 2019.

Hey @REC, what were you saying earlier about IW being a cultural event? Are you anticipating similar film commentary from the fashion world once IW is released?

Keep in mind that most of these Monday sell out reports are coming from east coast big cities. I suspect cities like Duluth, El Paso, Portland, Salt Lake City, etc. are probably just experiencing a busier than normal (but not gangbusters) Monday.

IW is not a cultural event. IW may be an orgiastic dream for comic book fan boys; but it is not tapping into the cultural zeitgeist like BP. There will be no articles written about IW that are anything close to this one and BP. https://thinkprogress.org/black-panther-crucial-viewing-experience-858986329246/

I think that is pretty much a given now. BP has no real competition for weeks. IW faces two competitors in May that will significantly weaken its legs. IW is certainly not the cultural event, either. Depending on reception to The Incredibles II, BP stands a great chance of being the highest grossing film of the year.

You’re half right. Time should easily clear $100M. Simon will be lucky to reach $40M total. Unless there is some hidden and massive teenage audience eager to see it, Simon will not be breaking out.

Armie Hammer will probably be cast as Indiana Jones.

You may be right about this. At the matinee I attended today, there were parents with kids in tow even though those kids should have been in school today. All schools in my area were in session today. I would definitely expect to see plenty of kids at showings during the next three days.

The trailers in front of my BP showing today were: A Wrinkle in Time feature Jurassic World Uncle Drew Tomb Raider Mission Impossible: Fallout Ant-Man and The Wasp Solo Overall, I would give the movie an A. Enjoyed almost everything about it except for some of the dodgy CGI. Boseman was a tad restrained but otherwise fine. Gurira was definitely the standout. The South Korean scenes were exceptional.

That’s an incorrect euphemism for racists.

BP features new characters and new settings. It looks and feels like a fresh film. IW looks exactly like the first two Avengers movies - same characters, same general story, more of the same of everything. There is nothing new about IW to reel in viewers who were not too interested in the previous films or their half-siblings, Civil War and GotG. Tony Stark meeting Peter Quill induces nothing but yawns from me.

Exactly. Black Panther looks interesting. Infinity War looks bland and boring. I will be seeing BP this weekend. IW is a wait for Netflix movie for me.

GT was the funniest movie of the year by far. It is well worth watching for anyone who has not seen it.

FWIW, here was the list I submitted. 1. Girls Trip 2. The Last Jedi 3. Logan 4. Coco 5. Wonder Woman 6. Get Out 7. Dunkirk 8. Baby Driver 9. I, Tonya 10. Call Me By Your Name 11. Logan Lucky 12. Wind River 13. Blade Runner 2049 14. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle 15. Mudbound 16. Spider-Man: Homecoming 17. Lady Bird 18. Phantom Thread 19. It 20. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 21. A Bad Moms Christmas 22. The Post 23. Molly’s Game 24. Gifted 25. Thor: Ragnarok

While Janney was good in I, Tonya, her performance is almost entirely dependent on the writing. She was given the best lines in the film - lines that could have carried any actress to a nomination for the role. I am certain she will win but I’m hoping Blige or Metcalf pull off the upset. The other three acting categories are far less interesting and only slightly less predictable. I am wondering if Streep siphons enough votes from McDormand to let Ronan slip in for the win. Coco for Animated Feature is the lock of the night after Janney. Given the Academy’s membership, I think Nolan and Dunkirk have an edge over del Toro and The Shape of Water.

I am at a showing of I, Tonya which starts in 15 minutes and there are a whopping 4 people here at present.

I would not have thought so after the first trailer for RPO but the second trailer for it looked like absolute garbage due to the additional plot elements that were included. Granted, The Post is going to need a lot of awards season love but RPO is looking far less invincible than it did a couple of months ago.