SLAM!

I wonder how well this will perform when it expands next weekend. Buzz is quiet, and Entertainment Studios seems to have mismanaged their awards campaigning to say the least. But people like this kind of film. And for people that like action films, this is a legitimate alternative to both 12 Strong and Den of Thieves, provided that they are willing to search for better films. But without Oscar buzz (because it's been mismanaged to the point where it has virtually no chance at any nominations), it'll be an uphill battle. It could be lucky to perform over 5 million on this coming expansion weekend.

This might do better than Tomb Raider, no joke.

My Dad likes to say "hm" when watching movies too.

I'm really happy people are supporting the first Hollywood original musical in over three decades. That means they might make more of them.

The film currently has its weekend all to itself. You never know, it might surprise a little bit. I mean, this is like Get Out meets No Good Deed. I'm eager to see what happens to it.

If you don't count Annihilation, Strangers: Prey at Night is the first horror film since Winchester; that's more than a month apart for wide-release horror. So if the film is getting trailer view numbers in the 13 million range, then I think this'll do fine. I mean, Aviron propelled Kidnap to $30 million. They'll make this work.

The Greatest Showman January 14th, 3:55, <90% full Regal Mayfaire Stadium 16, Wilmington, NC Previews Midnight Sun The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (murmurs) Peter Rabbit (laughs) Isle of Dogs (laughs; a young child was initially scared, but quickly calmed down; "This looks really weird" - a family member) Sherlock Gnomes (this really does look awful) Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (reactions when Cher is introduced) Love, Simon (big laughs at the end) Laughs and sniffling throughout. Claps at the end. This film is a real crowdpleaser!

We'll that's unlike anything I've ever seen before.

Many of the films that reach 100% nowadays are rather artistic and adult oriented. It's possible for parents to be turned off by a 100% family film for that reason- though It's be a dumb one, because Paddington's content is obviously tame.

That's most movies for sure. It takes a movie with a lot of merit to overcome that.

Thank you @DAJK for including The Shack in this list. I agree with everything you said; the acting is very well done, but the pacing and script are both lackluster. Those flaws aren't avoidable. And there's certainly better faith-based films from this year- All Saints and The Case for Christ, namely. It's harder for Christian filmmakers to give glory to God if they fail to pay attention to film form and cinematic language. The message itself doesn't make the film for you. So if a faith-based film is bad, people should call the film out on its faults in a respectful and instructive manner. So I do thank you for placing that film on your list, and I do thank you for providing your reasoning the way you did.

1. Phantom Thread 2. Maze Runner: The Death Cure 3. The 15:17 to Paris 4. Samson 5. Black Panther 6. Annihilation 7. Tomb Raider 8. Every Day 9. The Hurricane Heist 10. Isle of Dogs

You know, I agree. It's a clearly fantastical, clearly deeper-meaning, and clearly allegorical romance that serves an artistic purpose beyond the central romance. I think many people don't have a problem with it because the film is removed from reality far enough so that it fails to evoke real-world issues.

Still, it's a franchise. A wise actor would find time for both prestigious films and questionable-quality franchise films. You have to steadily build to lucrative spots in the industry like Kristen Stewart and Dwayne Johnson, doing a mix of smaller films and bigger films before becoming a bona-fide headliner. And it'd be a wrong approach to acting, as well as humility itself, to put yourself above certain roles in a stubborn sort of way. No matter what the actor thinks, an inclusion in Johnny English 3 could have certainly been a test of sorts to gauge his star/drawing potential after his sudden burst onto the scene. Because if he had rejoined the Johnny English cast, and if Johnny English 3 were to perform better than the last film globally with him in the cast, we would know exactly why this new film would have gained this newfound success. But I'm still happy to see Kaluuya aim for bigger roles and bigger opportunities. He deserves it.

It is a missed opportunity and a disappointment that they opted not to give Daniel Kaluuya's sidekick character from the last film a spot in this new film, honestly. Reincluding Daniel Kaluuya in this film could have possibly given this film an extra kick of buzz, especially in America.

I think you might be right. I haven't seen the film, so I'm not sure how off-putting it could be to some viewers; I do think people may still look at it with a keen eye, though. I really don't think it's out of the race just yet, because it's a year where basically none of the films feel like they should be a frontrunner.

"After the 'frozen pizza, awesome' comment, I was almost certain that the next shot would show that show that she had killed him. Then I realized that she had no energy left to spare." -TheMovieMyLife, via YouTube I have a theory on why the film's trailer is shoddily edited. It's because the film itself was made as a film, as opposed to a product in need of a strong trailer for people to take interest. That's why people are taking interest; they see the film honestly portrayed as what it is. A great role for Charlize Theron. And a great role for Mackenzie Davis, too. I'll be rooting for this.

In my opinion, Dunkirk is not a film that is capable of being snubbed going by its merit.

Best Picture 1. The Shape of Water 2. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 3. Lady Bird 4. Get Out 5. Dunkirk 6. The Post 7. I, Tonya 8. Call Me By Your Name 9. Darkest Hour 10. Phantom Thread Alternate) The Big Sick Best Director 1. Guillermo del Toro 2. Christopher Nolan 3. Greta Gerwig 4. Jordan Peele 5. Martin McDonagh Alternate) Paul Thomas Anderson Best Actress 1. Frances McDormand 2. Sally Hawkins 3. Saorsie Ronan 4. Margot Robbie 5. Meryl Streep Alternate) Jessica Chastain Actor 1. Gary Oldman 2. Timothee Chalamet 3. Daniel Day-Lewis 4. Daniel Kaluuya 5. James Franco Alternate) Jake Gyllenhaal Supporting Actress 1. Alison Janney 2. Laurie Mercalf 3. Octavia Spencer 4. Helen Hunt 5. Lesley Manville Alternate) Hong Chau Supporting Actor 1. Sam Rockwell 2. Willem Dafoe 3. Richard Jenkins 4. Armor Hammer 5. Christopher Plummer Alternate) Sebastian Stan Original Screenplay 1. Lady Bird 2. Get Out 3. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 4. The Shape of Water 5. I, Tonya Alternate) Phantom Thread Adapted Screenplay 1. Call Me By Your Name 2. Molly's Game 3. The Disaster Artist 4. Mudbound 5. Logan Alternate) Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool Cinematography 1. Dunkirk 2. The Shape of Water 3. Blade Runner 2049 4. Darkest Hour 5. Call Me By Your Name Alternate) The Lost City of Z Editing 1. Dunkirk 2. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 3. Get Out 4. Baby Driver 5. I, Tonya Alternate) The Shape of Water Animated Feature 1. Coco 2. The Breadwinner 3. Loving Vincent 4. Ferdinand 5. In This Corner of the World Alternate) Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming Foreign Feature 1. Foxtrot 2. Loveless 3. The Wound 4. The Square 5. In The Fade Alternate) Felicite Documentary Feature 1. Faces Places 2. Jane 3. Kedi 4. Human Flow 5. Last Men in Allepo Alternate) City of Ghosts Production Design 1. The Shape of Water 2. Darkest Hour 3. Blade Runner 2049 4. The Post 5. The Greatest Showman Alternate) Phantom Thread Costume Design 1. The Shape of Water 2. Phantom Thread 3. The Post 4. The Greatest Showman 5. Beauty and the Beast Alternate) I, Tonya Hair and Makeup Styling 1. Darkest Hour 2. I, Tonya 3. Wonder Alternate) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Original Score 1. The Shape of Water 2. Dunkirk 3. Phantom Thread 4. The Post 5. Darkest Hour Alternate) War for the Planet of the Apes Original Song 1. "Remember Me" (Coco) 2. "This is Me" (The Greatest Showman) 3. "Mystery of Love" (Call Me By Your Name") 4. "Stand Up For Something" (Marshall) 5. "Prayers for this World" (Cries from Syria) Alternate) "If I Dare" (Battle of the Sexes) Sound Mixing 1. Dunkirk 2. Baby Driver 3. The Shape of Water 4. Blade Runner 2049 5. Get Out Alternate) The Greatest Showman Sound Editing 1. Dunkirk 2. Baby Driver 3. Blade Runner 2049 4. The Shape of Water 5. Star Wars: The Last Jedi Alternate) mother! Visual Effects 1. The Shape of Water 2. Blade Runner 2049 3. War for the Planet of the Apes 4. Star Wars: The Last Jedi 5. Dunkirk Alternate) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

I've thought it before and I still think it now that The Shape of Water has the capacity to be a major frontrunner, as it appeals to many people at once: The steak and potatoes people voting for period films, the hipsters looking to reward a 'genre' film, and the voters who want to reward a film with a strong female lead. The Shape of Water may have missed some important precursors, but the film is certainly still in contention for the Best Picture win. And I would likely be correct in saying that the film would very likely fail to be a backlash-receiving candidate unlike Three Billboards. In my opinion, the Critic's Choice win puts the film in a very good position.

At least it's a situational homage to Miss Congeniality.

Color me excited for this one.

Not at all surprised by the film's apparent quality.

This is going to be the hit Paramount needs because of New Mutants moving. This was already engrossing audiences with its trailer. Now, it's going to keep its audience to itself.

If you think the release date thing is bad for this and Pandas, here's another thing to think about. There is an honest overabundance of family-targeting films in the month of April. April 6th has Show Dogs as well as Pandas, April 13th has Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero, and April 20th has Duck Duck Goose. These releases will likely eat into each other, let alone fail to stand out against Rampage, which is now set to shine in the wake of the release date change of New Mutants.