MikeQ

$25M is a perfectly good number for Black Panther, but it represents only a 75% increase from Thursday, which has me thinking the Friday number will go up. (Though maybe the movie is more of a Saturday/Sunday player.) Peace, Mike

Yeah, there have been several it's-very-different-from-the-book assessments in the last couple pages. This has me even more intrigued, as it sounds like I will get something interesting and different from the movie and the book(s). I've decided I'll check out the movie, and then read the books (needing a good new series to get into). Peace, Mike

Reviews are really strong. My big dilemma: do I read the books first or do I watch the film first? I'm assuming the film is based solely on the fist book of the trilogy. I always struggle with this - if I watch the film first, I don't get that magical new book reading experience, but if I read the book first, then sometimes I think what's the point of watching the movie now (but the reviews are strong)... Peace, Mike

As far as Marvel movies go, this is the best. Multifaceted, thematically rich, a wonderful blend of traditional and modern, a strong cast with fully realized characters, well placed humour that nails it, great action (the car chase and the casino fight are both aces - so many great moments in each of these sequences). And the first thing that struck me is that the movie has way better cinematography than any other Marvel film I can recall. Great work. Peace, Mike

Nobody needs to feel bad for Coco - it's going to end up being in the top 5 grossing Pixar films worldwide. And while Coco could have done better domestically, from what I recall, general expectations before Coco opened did not have it hitting $200M domestic. Indeed, it seemed many were worried it wouldn't have much appeal at all. Peace, Mike

Among wide releases, Black Panther’s opening weekend PTA of $50,198 is bested only by the two Star Wars movies. No wonder everyone has been saying theatres are packed! Peace, Mike

Definitely seems like it, at least from RTH’s vantage point so far in the evening. Black Panther only needs to get close to $60M - a Sunday of $58.3M or higher would give Black Panther $200M for the 3-day weekend, based on estimates. Would be fun to see it happen! Peace, Mike

Do we know if that’s what RTH means? It seems like it could be him saying don’t get your hopes up if that’s what you’re wishing for. Peace, Mike

I would say RTH was right, once again. Last night he said $66M and the official estimate this morning is $65.89M - pretty much bang on. Peace, Mike

5th largest opening weekend of all time. Incredible for Black Panther. Top Opening Weekends of All-Time & Share from Previews Rank / Title / Opening Weekend Gross / Share of Opening Weekend from Previews/Midnights 1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens — 248.0 million (23.0%) 2. Star Wars: The Last Jedi — 220.0 million (20.5%) 3. Jurassic World — 208.8 million (8.9%) 4. Marvel’s The Avengers — 207.4 million (9.0%) 5. Black Panther — 192.0 million (13.1%) 6. Avengers: Age of Ultron — 191.3 million (14.4%) 7. Captain America: Civil War — 179.1 million (14.0%) 8. Beauty and the Beast — 174.8 million (9.3%) 9. Iron Man 3 — 174.1 million (9.0%) 10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 — 169.2 million (25.7%) 11. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — 166.0 million (16.7%) 12. The Dark Knight Rises — 160.9 million (19.0%) 13. The Dark Knight — 158.4 million (11.7%) 14. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire — 158.1 million (16.0%) 15. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story — 155.1 million (18.7%) 16. The Hunger Games — 152.5 million (12.9%) 17. Spider-Man 3 — 151.1 million (6.6%) 18. Furious 7 — 147.2 million (10.7%) 19. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 — 146.5 million (11.6%) 20. The Twilight Saga: New Moon — 142.8 million (18.4%) 21. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 — 141.1 million (21.5%) 22. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 — 138.1 million (21.9%) 23. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest — 135.6 million (6.6%) 24. Finding Dory — 135.1 million (6.8%) 25. Suicide Squad — 133.7 million (15.3%) Peace, Mike

Most of Canada did not have a holiday (only the province of BC did). Most of the rest of the provinces have a provincial holiday next Monday (the 19th). Peace, Mike

Truly a terrific run from Jumanji. This may have been noted already, but Jumanji has hopped over 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' to enter the top 5 grossing films worldwide for 2017. I definitely didn't see that coming before it opened. Peace, Mike

Though Call Me by Your Name hasn’t been getting reported daily numbers, now that it’s the end of the week, it’s weekly box office gross has been updated. The numbers on BOM show that CMBYN made $876,000 Mon-Thu, which shows it to be getting a similar Oscar boost (right now) to Lady Bird. Lady Bird’s Mon-Thu gross is ~56% of its last weekend gross, and CMBYN’s Mon-Thu gross is ~60% of its last weekend gross. It also hit $10M total domestic. Peace, Mike

Fantastic for The Shape of Water and the other Oscar films too. Even The Post got a big jump. I wish Call Me by Your Name actually got daily numbers, so I could see what kind of Oscar bump it got (if any). Peace, Mike

Though I wasn't a fan of the movie as a whole, I'm fine with Three Billboards' win here at SAG, because the film does have a great ensemble of actors. Peace, Mike

Frances McDormand is the best. The acting categories at the Oscars are all sewn up - super duper locked. Peace, Mike

Even if actors "deserve" the win, I usually watch these shows and hope the different awards bodies will throw a wrench into things and have some surprise wins. There are usually two or three performers that I would love to see recognized in some categories, depending on the year, and it often seems a shame to me that there is a consensus favourite that just wins them all. Peace, Mike

I think it's basically a certainty at this point. It will pass Homecoming and enter the top 5 grossing films of 2017. Pretty incredible. Peace, Mike

The logic behind this kind of argument just doesn't hold up. If we are subtracting the grosses from the best markets for Coco, then we have to do that for every film and its best markets. Films resonate in different ways and do better in various markets for various reasons. This argument boils down to, 'If Coco hadn't done well, it wouldn't have done well." It's a strange argument to make. Peace, Mike

Deadline's Friday Estimates/Projections listed for those who don't want to dig through the article (and for whomever updates the title): The Post - 6.25M Jumanji - 5.5M Proud Mary - 5M The Commuter - 3.8M Paddington 2 - 3.3M Peace, Mike

I understand your frustration, somebody. October/November/December roll around and there are quickly an abundance of interesting, compelling and beautiful smaller/limited release films that I really want to see in theatres. Those are the months where I suddenly have so many movies I want to see, and I imagine there are many like me who really live for seeing this kind of cinema. Depending on where a person lives, however, the films may never be truly accessible to them in theatres. I'm not sure that a viable solution lies in having some kind of streaming service for these movies, unless you are someone who is in favour of theatres becoming a thing of the past and streaming becoming the norm. I strongly believe that most cities should have an arthouse cinema, and that cinephiles in cities without one should advocate for one or collectively start their own. I don't live in a major city, but I am lucky that my city does have an independently run arthouse theatre. And while it doesn't get all the smaller, limited release or independent films right away, they usually get most of the small awards buzzy ones in the November to February stretch before the Oscars roll around that I really want to see in theatres and before the Oscars. This isn't a perfect solution. As a cinephile, I'd be much better off living in Toronto (which is 2 hours away from me). But anyway, I understand where you're coming from. Peace, Mike

I'm disappointed Three Billboards won Best Drama. While Frances McDormand is fierce and fantastic in it, I don't think it is a great, cohesive movie, and it has some problematic aspects. I reaaally need to see Lady Bird and The Shape of Water. I've been hopeful that Call Me by Your Name can win something at the Oscars, but that seems less and less likely. On the TV side, if you haven't watched Big Littles Lies yet (which obviously the HFPA just showered with wins), I highly recommend it. Peace, Mike

I wonder if Jumanji can actually stay flat for next weekend's 4-day MLK weekend compared to this weekend? Sing only dropped 8% from this weekend to its 4-day MLK weekend, and Jumanji has dropped considerably better this weekend than Sing did. Though, this is perhaps because of the calendar and many schools not being back in session until tomorrow (Jan 8th), making for a somewhat inflated weekend (and obviously week) than would usually be. Even then, it looks to me that Jumanji is likely to hop and skip right over Thor: Ragnarok ($312.5M), IT ($327.5M), and Spider-Man: Homecoming ($334M) to enter the top 5 grossing films of 2017. That is pretty remarkable. If it continues having exceptional legs, could it even hit the $350 million mark? Peace, Mike

This movie is so, so, so good. Timothée Chalamet is terrific. The scene at the dinner table when Elio is making fun of Oliver for saying "later" all the time, followed by his obvious disappointment when he realizes Oliver won't make it to dinner. Trying to express himself and his attraction without using the words explicitly. The shuffling of the foot towards Oliver's, the impulsive movements when making out, and so on. In general trying to navigate their relationship, which is a kind of navigation that still persists today in its own way thanks to heteronormativity and assumptions of heterosexuality. The moment at the train station after Oliver has left when Elio calls his mom and breaks down asking his mom to come pick him up. The phone call from Oliver. The end scene in front of the fireplace. And a whole lot more. Chalamet has a real command over his body and his physical presence - throughout the film you can feel his energy, whether nervous, excited, jealous, disappointed, etc. He shows how he is feeling through his face and his body - in many ways, it is Timothée (and Armie) who make this movie work. I am so impressed by this performance. Elio's POV in the film is so real, and Luca keeps it with him, while also hinting at the oppression lingering around the corner. The film, I felt, drove home the constraints of the time in the early 80s ("I would kiss you right now if I could") while remaining focused on Elio's POV. It feels like everyone, namely Luca, Timothée, and Armie (and Michael Stuhlbarg!), completely get it with this film. (What a year Stuhlbarg is having, and he destroys me in this movie. Though unlikely, I'd love to see him surprise and get a supporting nod at the Oscars.) They nailed the essence of this story. I lost it at the train station, and during Elio's dad's speech. Filmlover puts it well in saying he is the dad we all wish we had. And the end scene in front of the fireplace had me watching and emotional until the end of the credits. There's a lot more I can say about the direction, the film technically, and about Armie's performance (which I think is excellent in it's own way, playing a man who is trying his best to play the "role" of the good, charming man, and whose own vulnerability comes through in the way he lovingly and respectfully treats Elio and worries about whether their relationship is too much for him), but I don't have the time right now. I may come back and share more thoughts. A week later and I can't stop thinking about the film. Very few movies sit with me like this. Beautiful work. Peace, Mike

This movie is so, so, so good. Timothée Chalamet is nothing short of terrific. It feels like everyone, namely Luca, Timothée, and Armie (and Michael Stuhlbarg!), completely get it with this film. (What a year Stuhlbarg is having, and he destroys me in this movie. Though unlikely, I'd love to see him surprise and get a supporting nod at the Oscars.) They nailed the essence of this story. There were two moments, in particular, where I lost it, and I sat unwavering through to the end of the credits. A week later and I can't stop thinking about it. Very few movies sit with me like this. Beautiful work. Peace, Mike