Islander

Jonah Hill listed "Kids" as one of the main influences on this film, so that makes sense. IMO, "Kids" seemed edgy and deep when I was 17, but I probably wouldn't appreciate it as much now. For the same reason, I'm not really interested in "Mid90's." It seems like yet another "gritty" film with way too big a chip on its shoulder, trying to make us fetishize the rough life of a kid in poverty. These days, such films depress me, yet also bring no insight to justify their existence. Also, I'm pretty certain Jonah Hill is not telling this story from his own personal experience, so I'm not expecting it to feel authentic.

I anticipate a massive PTA during its limited debut, perhaps the biggest of the year. The fans of The Room will really turn out for it. So $100k+ per theater is a bet I'd be willing to make. Not so sure about its expansion. It could catch on with mainstream audiences--or the awards-season audience if it gets that buzz--and get $50-75mil domestically. On the other hand, A24's biggest film is still Moonlight at $27.9mil, and they have often opened limited releases to massive PTA's, only to end up with pretty soft expansion numbers (see: Spring Breakers, Moonlight, Ex Machina, The Bling Ring). So The Disaster Artist could well be their highest grosser and still only get $30-40mil domestic.