WEEKEND THREAD | Wonka 14.4, Night Swim 12, Aqua 10.6, Migration 10.2, Anyone But You 9.5 (increased from last weekend!)

[MovieMan89]

Arnold’s career “high” is definitely not bodybuilding when he starred in some of the biggest movies of the 80s and 90s lmao. 99% of the world knows him because he was a movie star, maybe even the movie star at one point. 

[Eric Prime]

I would give it to some people saying Schwarzenegger not being a good actor (though frankly I'd argue he had plenty of directors who knew his limitations and used his charisma properly), but I can't say Stallone is just a muscle beach guy at all. Even in action schlock, he has always had great charisma and screen presence and personality. And that's not even getting into his work in Rocky. He's a good cut above most of his contemporaries.

[TMP]

12 minutes ago, MovieMan89 said:

Arnold’s career “high” is definitely not bodybuilding when he starred in some of the biggest movies of the 80s and 90s lmao. 99% of the world knows him because he was a movie star, maybe even the movie star at one point. 

Arnold's one of the most influential people in the history of an entire sport; I think that's more impressive than being one movie movie star in a sea of many. There's literally a shoulder move called the Arnold Press, I don't think there's an acting style called the "Arnold Method"

[MovieMan89]

Just now, TMP said:

Arnold's one of the most influential people in the history of an entire sport; I think that's more impressive than being one movie movie star in a sea of many. There's literally a shoulder move called the Arnold Press, I don't think there's an acting style called the "Arnold Method"

But you’re missing the point that bodybuilding is extremely niche and it’s never broken out of that status. I’m sure to people who care about bodybuilding, that’s what they think of with Arnold, but that’s such an absurdly minuscule amount of the GA.  

[TMP]

4 minutes ago, MovieMan89 said:

But you’re missing the point that bodybuilding is extremely niche and it’s never broken out of that status. I’m sure to people who care about bodybuilding, that’s what they think of with Arnold, but that’s such an absurdly minuscule amount of the GA.  

I guess I meant influence vs fame. I agree he’s more famous for his acting, but his influence in body-building feels like a much bigger career achievement IMO

[CJohn]

I hope ABY isn't hit hard by Mean Girls and instead both can co-exist.

 

Everything else seems more or less safe until the end of January with no direct competition coming up.

[MovieMan89]

Ugh, Mean Girls. What a colossal waste of nostalgia that is when we could be getting the sequel with the OG cast rn as the guaranteed biggest movie DOM since Oppenheimer. It especially makes no sense when all except McAdams have been enthusiastic about it for several years, Lindsey is in a good enough place again to be reliable on set, etc.

 

Unless McAdams just said a hard “no”, and tbh she’s the one character you just really can not recast with a reunion type of movie. But this dumb remake feels so creatively bankrupt and seeing others play these iconic characters in a movie just ain’t it. I don’t know any MG stans excited, and I know a whole ton of MG stans. Whats worse is that I feel like it could also kill off some of the potential hype for any aforementioned Mean Moms. That should have been this franchise’s big return, total goldmine with a decent script. 

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

1 hour ago, filmlover said:

The Color Purple not even coming close to the $94M total of Good luck to the Wicked movies breaking the recent Broadway adaptation curse.

The Color Purple was a hit musical and all but Wicked has been playing on Broadway for 20 years straight, plus the long running international dates and tours. Wicked might flop onscreen, but it's more akin Les Misérables or Chicago in terms of potential fanbase than things like In the Heights or Dear Evan Hansen.

 

Wicked has a plot, so any movie adaptation is starting at an advantage over Cats. The Phantom of the Opera however was also a massive longrunning musical that didn't set the box office on fire, though its reviews were lackluster.

 

Wicked should just be one movie and the split into two films is worrying. What does Universal do if Part 1 isn't a hit?

[MovieMan89]

Les Mis run is the best Wicked can hope for with that god awful part 1 looming in the title. By far the stupidest waste of a popular IP I’ve seen from Hollywood recently. Especially when they realize no one cares that much about the second half of the play since there aren’t any iconic songs. However much p1 underperforms, slash that in half or less for p2. 

[KP1025]

1 minute ago, MovieMan89 said:

Les Mis run is the best Wicked can hope for with that god awful part 1 looming in the title. By far the stupidest waste of a popular IP I’ve seen from Hollywood recently. Especially when they realize no one cares that much about the second half of the play since there aren’t any iconic songs. However much p1 underperforms, slash that in half or less for p2. 

 

There's No Good Deed, which is the big eleven O'clock number. But I do agree that most of the iconic songs are stacked in Act 1, and nothing can top Defying Gravity.

[excel1]

3 hours ago, TMP said:

Kind of shocked Evans made it so far considering he’s good at neither comedic or dramatic work and doesn’t have a lot of charisma either. I guess he’s OK at being a human-sized GI JOE, much like Cavill. Weird age of leading men where a majority of them are just white dudes who look like muscle beach rejects and possess no other discernible skills lol

 

The young actor group from the turn of the millennium is just notoriously bad, and the ones who didn't go the superhero route but still have major careers are few and far between. Yes, we still have Jake Gyllenhaal acting in major stuff, but the best actor of the ground passed away in 2008 (Heath Ledger), Joaquin Phoenix went off the deep end for a while but has somewhat leveled ooutthe other big talent Josh Hartnett abandoned mainstream Hollywood. Paul Walker also passed away unfortunately. The Ashton Kutcher/Orlando Bloom/Jesse Bradfords/Freddie Prinze Jr/Matthew Lillard/Wes Bentley/Ryan Phillippe/Billy Cudrup/Sean William Scott/Chris Klein/James Franco  all went absolutely nowhere with mainstream film. 

 

The 1990s biggest stars if Leo, Pitt, Cruise, Smith etc are all still Hollywoods biggest names. 

Edited January 6 by excel1

[MovieMan89]

1 hour ago, TMP said:

I guess I meant influence vs fame. I agree he’s more famous for his acting, but his influence in body-building feels like a much bigger career achievement IMO

I will say he’s pretty much the only reason bodybuilding has ever gotten much of any mainstream attention, but again most people think of Arnold the actor. 

[Maggie]

15 minutes ago, excel1 said:

 

 big talent Josh Hartnett

[Juliet]

6 minutes ago, excel1 said:

 

The young actor group from the turn of the millennium is just notoriously bad, and the ones who didn't go the superhero route but still have major careers are few and far between. Yes, we still have Jake Gyllenhaal acting in major stuff, but the best actor of the ground passed away in 2008 (Heath Ledger), Joaquin Phoenix went off the deep end for a while but has somewhat leveled ooutthe other big talent Josh Hartnett abandoned mainstream Hollywood. Paul Walker also passed away unfortunately. The Ashton Kutcher/Orlando Bloom/Jesse Bradfords/Freddie Prinze Jr/Matthew Lillard/Wes Bentley/Ryan Phillippe/Billy Cudrup/Sean William Scott/Chris Klein/James Franco  all went absolutely nowhere with mainstream film. 

 

The 1990s biggest stars if Leo, Pitt, Cruise, Smith etc are all still Hollywoods biggest names. 

 

The Ashton Kutcher- Orlando Bloom- Freddie Prinze Jr etc generation I blame entirely on Hollywood. Didn't know what to do with them. They were fine when they were in Cosmo Girl but once they aged out the Studios had nothing for them. Joshua Jackson is another one that deserves to do better. I was hoping more people would pay attention to him after The Affair.

 

 

[Joel M]

Night Swim was just garbage. Good on Blumhouse for still making money, but I feel they used to have better quality control even for their lower profile stuff. I also saw Poor Things which was amazing and it's kind of hilarious that here it plays like a blockbuster because of Lanthimos. Most packed theatre I've been in since Oppenheimer.

 

Also ABY does not even have a release date here yet. I assume some countries were waiting to see how it 'll play  in the anglosphere first where the stars are more well known, and now after the breakout they 'll probably set it for Valentine's Day.

[ChipDerby]

48 minutes ago, KP1025 said:

 

There's No Good Deed, which is the big eleven O'clock number. But I do agree that most of the iconic songs are stacked in Act 1, and nothing can top Defying Gravity.

 

The only say to save the two film decision is if they do a weird cut and put defying gravity into part two.

[filmlover]

58 minutes ago, BoxOfficeFangrl said:

Wicked should just be one movie and the split into two films is worrying. What does Universal do if Part 1 isn't a hit?

Day-and-date on Peacock for Part 2. Or maybe just a straight up Peacock exclusive if the numbers for Part 1 were to be especially embarrassing.

[TMP]

27 minutes ago, MovieMan89 said:

I will say he’s pretty much the only reason bodybuilding has ever gotten much of any mainstream attention

The Arnold shrine at my local gym, arranged in the same way that some display their love for Budha, definitely agrees with this!

[Blankments]

Happy new year @WrathOfHan @Eric Owns Mickey Mouse:

 

12x:

 

Mean Girls: Five Nights at Freddy’s, The Marvels Dolby, Priscilla, Thanksgiving, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Trolls Band Together, Saltburn, Wish Dolby, Poor Things, The Iron Claw, The Boy and the Heron Round 2, The Book of Clarence

 

8x:

 

Soul: Frozen II Dolby, Onward Dolby, The Empire Strikes Back, The Personal History of David Copperfield, Hocus Pocus, Michael Jordan to the MAX IMAX, Coco Round 7, Wonka

 

7x:

 

Bob Marley: One Love: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One Dolby, Meg 2: The Trench Dolby, Shortcomings, Strays, The Nun II Dolby, Stop Making Sense IMAX, Anatomy of a Fall

Wonka: Barbie Round 2 Dolby, Blue Beetle Dolby, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Round 2 3D, A Haunting in Venice IMAX, Barbie Round 3 IMAX, Beetlejuice Dolby, Wish Dolby

Migration: The Super Mario Bros. Movie Dolby, The Super Mario Bros. Movie Round 2, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, Barbie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Round 2 3D, Trolls Band Together, Wish Dolby

The Color Purple: Barbie, Theater Camp, Birth/Rebirth, The Nun II Dolby, Stop Making Sense IMAX, Trolls Band Together, Wish Dolby

Dune: Part Two: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Dolby, Oppenheimer IMAX 15/70mm, Meg 2: The Trench Dolby, Oppenheimer Round 3 IMAX, The Nun II Dolby, Batman Begins, Wonka

 

6x:

 

Poor Things: Chevalier, Asteroid City Round 2, Theater Camp Round 0, Theater Camp, A Haunting in Venice IMAX, Anatomy of a Fall

Argylle: The Royal Hotel, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Anatomy of a Fall, Priscilla, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Godzilla Minus One

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: Barbie Round 3 IMAX, Beetlejuice Dolby, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Thanksgiving, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Ferrari Dolby

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: The Marvels Dolby, Thanksgiving, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Godzilla Minus One, Poor Things, The Iron Claw

Turning Red: The Addams Family 2, Ron’s Gone Wrong, Encanto Dolby Atmos, West Side Story Dolby Round 0, Sing 2 Dolby, Wonka

 

4x:

 

White Bird: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Dolby, Elemental 3D, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Round 3 Dolby

Drive-Away Dolls: Asteroid City, Asteroid City Round 2, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One Dolby, Talk to Me

Ferrari: Barbie Round 3 IMAX, Anatomy of a Fall, Priscilla, Thanksgiving

The Boy and the Heron: Howl’s Moving Castle, The Night of the Hunter 35mm, Spirited Away, Monster

Night Swim: Five Nights at Freddy’s, Thanksgiving, Saltburn, Poor Things

The Beekeeper: Five Nights at Freddy’s, American Fiction Round 2, Saltburn, Ferrari Dolby

Inside Out 2: Trolls Band Together, Wish Dolby, The Boy and the Heron Round 2, Wonka

Origin: American Fiction Round 2, Ferrari Dolby, The Iron Claw, The Book of Clarence

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire: The Marvels Dolby, The Boy and the Heron Round 2, Wonka, The Book of Clarence

 

 

3x:

 

Problemista: You Hurt My Feelings, Past Lives, Talk to Me
The Iron Claw: The Holdovers 35mm, Priscilla, American Fiction Round 2
All of Us Strangers: The Killer, May December, Poor Things
Anyone But You: Thanksgiving, Godzilla Minus One, Poor Things
Imaginary: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Godzilla Minus One, Poor Things
Arthur the King: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, The Iron Claw, The Boy and the Heron Round 2

2x:

 

Fantastic Four: The Conjuring 2 Round 2, Wrath of Man
Adhira: RRR, RRR Round 2
Challengers: No Hard Feelings, Barbie
Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire: Rocky aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani, Jawan
Lisa Frankenstein: Five Nights at Freddy’s, Priscilla
The Boys in the Boat: The Marvels Dolby, American Fiction Round 2
American Fiction: May December, Saltburn
The Garfield Movie: Trolls Band Together, Wish Dolby
Waitress: The Musical: Godzilla Minus One, Poor Things
ISS: Godzilla Minus One, Ferrari Dolby
The Fall Guy: The Marvels Dolby, The Iron Claw
Perfect Days: Ferrari Dolby, The Boy and the Heron Round 2
Luca: Raya and the Last Dragon Dolby, Wonka
Kung Fu Panda 4: The Boy and the Heron Round 2, Wonka

1x:

MaXXXine: Pearl
Ordinary Angels: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Elio: Elemental 3D
Coup de Torchon: Monster
Pianoforte: Monster
A Christmas Story 2022 Re-release: Godzilla Minus One
Monster: Godzilla Minus One
Freud’s Last Session: Poor Things
The Book of Clarence: The Iron Claw
Love Lies Bleeding: The Iron Claw
Civil War: The Iron Claw
Memory: The Boy and the Heron Round 2
If: Wonka
Godzilla x Kong: A New Empire: Wonka
The American Society of Magical Negroes: The Book of Clarence
Madame Web: The Book of Clarence

 

Edited January 6 by Blankments

[M37]

1 hour ago, BoxOfficeFangrl said:

The Color Purple was a hit musical and all but Wicked has been playing on Broadway for 20 years straight, plus the long running international dates and tours. Wicked might flop onscreen, but it's more akin Les Misérables or Chicago in terms of potential fanbase than things like In the Heights or Dear Evan Hansen.

 

Wicked has a plot, so any movie adaptation is starting at an advantage over Cats. The Phantom of the Opera however was also a massive longrunning musical that didn't set the box office on fire, though its reviews were lackluster.

 

Wicked should just be one movie and the split into two films is worrying. What does Universal do if Part 1 isn't a hit?

I think on the optimistic side, the better comp is not Les Mis, which was primarily for adults, but rather Into the Woods, as a "darker" take/twist on a well-known family story.

 

But I do not have high hopes, because of the whole part 1/part 2 decision, but also the release date. Musicals have always done well through the Xmas holiday into January, and I'm not sure Thanksgiving into December offers that same kind of potential. Unless I'm missing some, the last two live action musicals released for TG were Burlesque (2010, $39M, #79 for year) and Rent (2005, $29M, #94) - basically matching West Side Story and Cats respectively (before adjusting for inflation/ATP)