Dejana

Thanks for sharing. Episode 4 sounds heavy. Chris Harrison and Reality Steve almost seem like they're trying to be sensitive in discussing it.

A couple of things are going on, IMO. Outside of the Star Wars franchise, December movies tend to have smaller opening weekends but can still end up with impressive totals, thanks to theaters doing huge weekday business in the Christmas-New Year's window. Top December opening weekends (excluding Star Wars): The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey $84,617,303 ($303,003,568 dom. total) 12.14.2012 release date I Am Legend $77,211,321 ($256,393,010) 12.14.2007 Avatar $77,025,481 ($749,766,139) 12.18.2009 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug $73,645,197 ($258,366,855) 12.13.2013 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King $72,629,713 ($377,027,325) 12.17.2003 Another thing is that as a character, Wonder Woman is more popular than Aquaman, and there is still some work to do with re-establishing audience trust in the brand due to the overall DECU output so far. They're not quite on the MCU level where even movies based on C-list comic book characters can get a $100M opening (not yet, anyway). This Hollywood Reporter article is a couple of weeks old, but here's the reasoning:

Everyone wants in on the holiday box office bonanza, but it's already crowded as it is, with two more wide releases coming on Christmas Day (Holmes and Watson and Vice). I don't know if The Grinch losing most theaters on December 25 is enough to give all these titles the room to succeed as much as their studios have hoped. December 21–23, 2018 Estimates: 1 (N) Aquaman $67,400,000 | 4,125 Theaters | $16,339 Avg. | $160-200M Budget | $72,100,000 2 (N) Mary Poppins Returns $22,235,000 | 4,090 Theaters | $5,436 Avg. | $130M Budget | $31,049,671 3 (N) Bumblebee $21,000,000 | 3,550 Theaters | $5,915 Avg. | $100-135M Budget | $21,000,000 4 (1) Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse $16,700,000 (-52.8%) | 3,813 Theaters (NC) | $4,380 Avg. | $90M Budget | $64,800,063 5 (2) The Mule $9,950,000 (-43.2%) | 2,656 Theaters (+68) | $3,746 Avg. | $50M Budget | $35,653,465 6 (3) The Grinch $8,180,000 (-30.4%) | 2,780 Theaters (-900) | $2,942 Avg. | $75M Budget | $253,218,975 7 (N) Second Act $6,501,000 | 2,607 Theaters | $2,494 Avg. | $16M Budget | $6,501,000 8 (4) Ralph Breaks the Internet $4,599,000 (-50.4%) | 2,495 Theaters (-1,080) | $1,843 Avg. | $175M Budget | $162,093,930 9 (N) Welcome to Marwen $2,358,000 | 1,911 Theaters | $1,234 Avg. | $39M Budget | $2,358,000 10 (17) Mary Queen of Scots $2,240,000 (+220.1%) | 795 Theaters (+729) | $2,818 Avg. | $25M Budget | $3,544,755 11 (12) The Favourite $2,060,000 (-20.9%) | 790 Theaters (+349) | $2,608 Avg. | $15M Budget| $10,087,140 12 (7) Bohemian Rhapsody $1,855,000 (-57.0%) | 1,168 Theaters (-1,045) | $1,588 Avg. | $50-55M Budget | $184,686,798 13 (5) Mortal Engines $1,727,000 (-77.2%) | 3,103 Theaters (NC) | $557 Avg. | $100-150M Budget | $11,990,960 14 (6) Creed II $1,517,995 (-71.8%) | 1,127 Theaters (-1,980) | $1,347 Avg. | $50M Budget | $108,704,612 15 (10) Green Book $1,406,000 (-49.3%) | 732 Theaters (-483) | $1,921 Avg. | $23M Budget | $27,530,971 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald $860,000 (-77.3%) | 682 Theaters (-1,924) | $1,261 Avg. | $200M Budget | $154,452,713 A Star Is Born $330,000 (-68.3%) | 262 Theaters (-580) | $1,260 Avg. | $36-40M Budget | $200,051,727 If Beale Street Could Talk $114,902 (-48.8%) | 5 Theaters (+1) | $22,980 Avg. | $12M Budget | $428,050 Cold War $55,727 | 3 Theaters (New) | $18,576 Avg. | €4.3M Budget | $55,727 International Box Office: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: $482.2M Overseas Total | $666.9M Global Total FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD: $457.0M Overseas Total | $611.5M Global Total AQUAMAN: $410.7M Overseas Total | $482.8M Global Total THE GRINCH: $169.3M Overseas Total | $422.5M Global Total A STAR IS BORN: $182M Overseas Total | $382M Global Total RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: $145.5M Overseas Total | $307.6M Global Total THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS: $107.1M Overseas Total | $161.3M Global Total CREED II: $26.9M OVerseas Total | $135.6M Global Total SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE: $64.8M Overseas Total | $129.6M Global Total MORTAL ENGINES: $42.3M Overseas Total | $54.2M Global Total BUMBLEBEE: $31.1M Overseas Total | $52.1M Global Total MARY POPPINS RETURNS: $20.3M Overseas Total | $51.3M Global Total

Finally! Can't wait.

A Dick Cheney biopic doesn't scream "Happy Holidays", but Django Unchained and The Wolf of Wall Street weren't necessarily festive, either, and were hits at Christmas. Of course, those had better reviews, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Christmas is a pretty generous time at the box office that can save movies from outright flopping, hut it is a pretty crowded season this year,. Still, even divisive movies that don't make much can rack up the nominations if they have ardent Academy support.

I guess they felt rallying behind one song would give it the best chance to win and strategically, keeping the potential nomination count from getting too high helps mitigate some of the frontrunner backlash. The movies aren't exactly the same but WB's strategists probably studied La La Land's awards run very carefully to determine when things started to go wrong for it, and figure out ways to keep A Star Is Born from suffering the same fate (not knowing there'd be several contenders to serve as much bigger backlash targets anyway). Since, more likely than not, only one song will win, they must be thinking, why push multiple options? Of course, watch this be the year there's a tie in Best Original Song. The reviews for Vice are...interesting. I don't know if it will have enough support to win any of the televised major category awards, in spite of the divisive critical reception.

The dystopian YA genre in particular has really fizzled out at the box office, but the rights were acquired years ago (2009) and I guess Jackson/the studio didn't want to let them go to waste. They probably wish they had, since Mortal Engines is set to lose $100 million (at least). He's the screenwriter/producer on Mortal Engines, not the director (though you would hardly know it, given the promotional campaign). Peter Jackson's most recent directorial effort is the World War I documentary They Shall Not Grow Old and it's received excellent reviews (it's showing in some theaters on December 17 and 27). With fictional films, it's been a while.

December 14–16, 2018 Estimates: 1 (N) Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse $35,400,000 | 3,813 Theaters | $9,284 Avg. | $90M Budget | $35,400,000 2 (N) The Mule $17,210,000 | 2,588 Theaters | $6,650 Avg. | $50M Budget | $17,210,000 3 (2) The Grinch $11,580,000 (-23.0%) | 3,759 Theaters (-82) | $3,081 Avg. | $75M Budget | $239,288,710 4 (1) Ralph Breaks the Internet $9,589,000 (-41.0%) | 3,575 Theaters (-220) | $2,682 Avg. | $175M Budget | $154,464,878 5 (N) Mortal Engines $7,501,000 | 3,103 Theaters | $2,417 Avg. | $100-150M Budget | $7,501,000 6 (3) Creed II $5,398,830 (-45.9%) | 3,107 Theaters (-645) | $1,738 Avg. | $50M Budget | $104,882,976 7 (5) Bohemian Rhapsody $4,125,000 (-32.8%) | 2,213 Theaters (-740) | $1,864 Avg. | $50-55M Budget | $180,423,200 8 (6) Instant Family $3,720,000 (-35.4%) | 2,860 Theaters (-566) | $1,301 Theaters | $48M Budget | $60,218,054 9 (4) Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald $3,650,000 (-47.5%) | 2,606 Theaters (-845) | $1,401 Avg. | $200M Budget | $151,653,410 10 (7) Green Book $2,780,000 (-28.8%) | 1,215 Theaters (+34) | $2,288 Avg. | $23M Budget | $24,660,366 11 (N) Once Upon a Deadpool $2,600,000 | 1,566 Theaters | $1,660 Avg. | $3,883,920 (Cumulative Deadpool 2 Total: $322,375,346) 12 (12) The Favourite $2,570,000 (+70.9%) | 439 Theaters (+348) | $5,854 Avg. | $15M Budget | $6,739,903 13 (8) Robin Hood $1,200,000 (-66.0%) | 1,720 Theaters (-853) | $698 Avg. | $100M Budget | $29,783,833 14 (10) Widows $1,200,000 (-61.9%) | 1,228 Theaters (-933) | $977 Avg. | $42M Budget | $40,815,656 15 (9) The Possession of Hannah Grace $1,180,000 (-62.8%) | 1,307 (-991) | $903 Avg. | $6-9.5M Budget | $13,904,905 A Star Is Born $1,022,000 (-58.4%) | 842 Theaters (-789) | $1,214 Avg. | $36-40M Budget | $199,160,074 Mary Queen of Scots $700,000 (+259.4%) | 66 Theaters (+62) | $10,606 Avg. | $25M Budget | $961,835 Vox Lux $244,000 (+56.7%) | 325 Theaters (+319) | $751 Avg. | $433,211 If Beale Street Could Talk $219,174 | 4 Theaters | $54,794 Avg. | $12M Budget | $219,174 The House That Jack Built $40,436 | 33 Theaters | $1,225 Avg. | $40,436 International Box Office: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: $455.5M Overseas Total | $635.92M Global Total FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD: $444.2M Overseas Total | $595.9M Global Total A STAR IS BORN: $177.1M Overseas Total | $376.2M Global Total THE GRINCH: $133.4M Overseas Total | $372.69M Global Total RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: $130.7M Overseas Total | $285.1M Global Total AQUAMAN: $263.1M Overseas/Global Total THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS: $99.1M Overseas Total | $152.7M Global Total CREED II: $27M Overseas Total | $131M Global Total ROBIN HOOD: $43.7M Overseas Total | $73.4M Global Total WIDOWS: $30M Overseas Total | $70.8M Global Total SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE: $21M Overseas Total | $56.4M Global Total MORTAL ENGINES: $34.8M Overseas Total | $42.3M Global Total

I get why Bohemian Rhapsody is hugely popular but also why the critics aren't fans: they really aren't here for biopics that cover multiple decades these days, they wanted a grittier portrayal of Freddie's sexuality, they feel the approach it did take often lapsed into old/harmful stereotypes, the character development for everyone else wasn't the strongest, they are familiar enough with the real-life history to find the movie's changes distracting, and then the Bryan Singer association probably lopped off 10-15 points from the Rotten Tomatoes/Metacritic scores. Without that, the reception still probably wouldn't be great, but less harsh. But critics and general audiences are often looking to get very different things out of movies. I thought the movie was at its strongest in the end, but felt Rami was noticeably struggling with those prosthetic teeth at times, they really should have scaled them down a touch. In ranking performances, I think consistency is important and would go for someone very good to excellent throughout before a more uneven performance. I know feelings about performances are subjective and people vote based on all different kinds of criteria: who had the highest degree of difficulty, which was the most moving, who transformed the most, who is in the best movie overall, etc.

Gross. You hope the network/production was completely unaware of his behavior but the past year or so has shown that the industry is willing to cover up a lot to maintain the status quo. I'm really hoping the earlier decision to have the character offscreen so much was purely a writing choice, and not that TPTB already had concerns and were quietly trying to limit his time around the child actors...

I inherited Josie from my older sister. At the time, I remember thinking it was so romantic and was a history nut, so I was fascinated by the Pony Express angle. Today's young girls would probably be horrified by I started with Sweet Valley Twins, but one day a copy of All Night Long appeared in class and our sixth grade selves were so scandalized by the title, premise and cover (the guy not only looked too old for Jessica but like one of our teachers at school).

December 7–9, 2018 Estimates: 1 (1) Ralph Breaks the Internet $16,141,000 (-36.9%) | 3,795 Theaters (-222) | $4,253 Avg. | $175M Budget | $140,858,885 2 (2) The Grinch $15,175,000 (-15.4%) | 3,841 Theaters (-93) | $3,951 Theaters | $75M Budget | $223,463,175 3 (3) Creed II $10,322,515 (-38.0%) | 3,752 Theaters (+176) | $2,751 Theaters | $50M Budget | $96,471,912 4 (4) Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald $6,805,000 (-40.1%) | 3,451 Theaters (-400) | $1,972 Avg. | $200M Budget | $145,207,524 5 (5) Bohemian Rhapsody $6,000,000 (-25.1%) | 2,953 Theaters (-54) | $2,032 Avg. | $50-55M Budget | $173,569,170 6 (6) Instant Family $5,600,000 (-21.9%) | 3,426 Theaters (+50) | $1,635 Avg. | $48M Budget | $54,160,742 7 (10) Green Book $3,935,000 (+0.1%) | 1,181 Theaters (+116) | $3,332 Avg. | $23M Budget | $19,976,911 8 (8) Robin Hood $3,585,000 (-25.0%) | 2,573 Theaters (-254) | $1,393 Avg. | $100M Budget | $27,289,193 9 (7) The Possession of Hannah Grace $3,175,000 (-50.4%) | 2,298 Theaters (+233) | $1,382 Avg. | $6-9.5M Budget | $11,506,549 10 (9) Widows $3,100,000 (-29.6%) | 2,161 Theaters (-232) | $1,435 Avg. | $42M Budget | $38,155,806 11 (12) A Star Is Born $2,530,000 (+38.3%) | 1,631 Theaters (+550) | $1,551 Avg. | $36-40M Budget | $197,118,597 12 (14) The Favourite $1,430,000 (+33.4%) | 91 Theaters (+57) | $15,714 Avg. | $15M Budget | $3,468,646 13 (13) The Nutcracker and the Four Realms $979,000 (-27.1%) | 1,170 Theaters (-222) | $837 Avg. | $120-133M Budget | $52,559,194 14 (N) Schindler's List (2018 re-release) $566,760 | 1,029 Theaters | $551 Avg. | $22M Budget | $556,760 (lifetime domestic total: $96,632,528) 15 (N) TCM: White Christmas $566,045 | 638 Theaters | $887 Avg. | $556,045 Boy Erased $420,000 (-30.5%) | 622 Theaters (-38) | $675 Avg. | $6,335,227 The Wife $222,547 (+20,875.2%) | 421 Theaters (+415) | $529 Avg. | $8,011,664 Mary Queen of Scots $200,000 | 4 Theaters (New) | $50,000 Avg. | $25M Budget | $200,000 Vox Lux $162,252 | 6 Theaters (New) | $27,042 Avg. | $162,252 Anna and the Apocalypse $141,944 (+169.9%) | 46 Theaters (+41) | $3,086 Avg. | $215,076 Ben Is Back $80,972 | 4 Theaters (New) | $20,243 Avg. | $13M Budget | $80,972 International Box Office: VENOM: $638.6M Overseas Total | $851.3M Global Total BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: $423.0M Overseas Total | $596.5M Global Total FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD: $423.3M Overseas Total | $568.5M Global Total A STAR IS BORN: $172.6M Overseas Total | $369.7M Global Total THE GRINCH: $98.9M Overseas Total | $322.4M Global Total RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: $117.3M Overseas Total | $258.1M Global Total THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS: $87.7M Overseas Total | $140.3M Global Total AQUAMAN: $93.6M China/Global Total ROBIN HOOD: $38.5M Overseas Total | $65.7M Global Total WIDOWS: $26.9M Overseas Total | $65.0M Global Total MORTAL ENGINES: $17.9M Overseas & Global Total

Chrissy Metz in Breakthrough:

There was a drop-off between Sorcerer's Stone ($317,575,550) and Chamber of Secrets ($261,988,482), but the retention from FB1 to FB2 will be worse, with a significantly poorer reception than CoS got at the time. It doesn't bode well for FB3 and if WB keeps going in the same direction, it will fall off a cliff, box office wise. As it is, Crimes of Grindelwald will be lucky to make in total as much as Deathly Hallows 2 did in its opening weekend alone ($169,189,427). It'll be interesting to see what they do. Since a five-part series has already been announced, I imagine there is a reluctance to walk it back, given the past success of Potter/the Wizarding World. I mean, even the studio behind the Divergent franchise refused to say, "Never mind!" about splitting the last one into two parts, when the series was never that big, the movies had peaked financially with the first one, the public was majorly over the split finales by then, and the author of the books was relatively young and without a ton of clout. As much as I've wanted WB to move on from Yates, apparently, his direction wasn't the problem with CoG as much as it was the script. Does WB pair JK Rowling with an experienced screenwriter for future movies, or try convincing her to step aside from scripting duties altogether? Considering her ego these days, good luck with that. The next one needs a Prisoner of Azkaban sort of reception and Cuarón is not walking through that door.

Some titles hold up better than others during the post-Thanksgiving frame, and The Grinch becomes the 200th movie to cross the $200 million mark at the domestic box office. November 30–December 2, 2018 Estimates: 1 (1) Ralph Breaks the Internet $25,756,000 (-54.2%) | 4,017 Theaters (NC) | $6,412 Avg. | $175M Budget | $119,294,233 2 (3) The Grinch $17,730,000 (-41.7%) | 3,934 Theaters (-26) | $4,507 Avg. | $75M Budget | $203,507,195 3 (2) Creed II $16,832,863 (-52.7%) | 3,576 Theaters (+135) | $4,707 Avg. | $50M Budget | $81,169,147 4 (4) Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald $11,200,000 (-61.9%) | 3,851 Theaters (-312) | $2,908 Avg. | $200M Budget | $134,341,406 5 (5) Bohemian Rhapsody $8,100,000 (-42.1%) | 3,007 Theaters (+80) | $2,694 Avg. | $50-55M Budget | $164,423,150 6 (6) Instant Family $7,150,000 (-41.9%) | 3,376 Theaters (+90) | $2,118 Avg. | $48M Budget | $45,927,769 7 (N) The Possession of Hannah Grace $6,500,000 | 2,065 Theaters | $3,148 Avg. | $6-9.5M Budget | $6,500,000 8 (7) Robin Hood $4,700,000 (-48.9%) | 2,827 Theaters (NC) | $1,663 Avg. | $100M Budget | $21,727,682 9 (8) Widows $4,400,000 (-46.5%) | 2,393 Theaters (-410) | $1,839 Avg. | $42M Budget | $33,060,245 10 (9) Green Book $3,900,000 (-29.1%) | 1,065 Theaters (+2) | $3,662 Avg. | $23M Budget | $14,016,491 11 (N) 2.0 $2,775,000 | 314 Theaters | $8,838 Avg. | $3,705,000 12 (10) A Star Is Born $1,905,000 (-36.8%) | 1,081 Theaters (-121) | $1,762 Avg. | $36-40M Budget | $193,822,436 13 (11) The Nutcracker and the Four Realms $1,299,000 (-53.4%) | 1,392 Theaters (-365) | $933 Avg. | $120-133M Budget | $51,058,909 14 (19) The Favourite $1,105,000 (+161.6%) | 34 Theaters (+30) | $32,500 Avg. | $15M Budget | $1,679,310 15 (12) Boy Erased $590,000 (-49.1%) | 660 Theaters (-12) | $894 Avg. | $5,581,437 16 (13) Overlord $405,000 (-63.6%) | 533 Theaters (-690) | $760 Avg. | $38M Budget | $21,014,015 17 (14) Nobody's Fool $380,000 (-57.8%) | 385 Theaters (-223) | $987 Avg. | $19M Budget | $31,128,059 18 (15) Venom $380,000 (-50.4%) | 425 Theaters (-160) | $894 Avg. | $100-116M Budget | $212,270,652 19 (17) Can You Ever Forgive Me? $350,000 (-41.5%) | 272 Theaters (-154) | $1,287 Avg. | $6,591,770 20 (18) Free Solo $305,294 (-31.9%) | 158 Theaters (+12) | $1,932 Avg. | $10,132,787 The Front Runner $270,000 (-57.3%) | 807 Theaters (NC) | $335 Avg. | $1,627,318 Anna and the Apocalypse $50,163 | 5 Theaters (New) | $10,033 Avg. | $50,163 International Box Office: VENOM: $631.7M Overseas Total | $844.0M Global Total BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: $375.1M Overseas Total | $539.5M Global Total FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD: $385.3M Overseas Total | $519.6M Global Total A STAR IS BORN: $168.6M Overseas Total | $362.2M Global Total THE GRINCH: $64.8M Overseas Total | $268.3M Global Total RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: $87.7M Overseas Total | $207.0M Global Total THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS: $80M Overseas Total | $131M Global Total CREED II: $11.4M Overseas Total | $92.5M Global Total WIDOWS: $20M Overseas Total | $53.1M Global Total ROBIN HOOD: $26.3M Overseas Total | $48M Global Total

I heard about Abcde being a "thing" a few years ago, and there are hundreds of American girls/women with the name (it's shown up in Social Security records since 1990, so some of them are adults by now): https://www.thisisinsider.com/abcde-name-popularity-2018-11 The last time Kate's friends went to a party for her, it didn't go so well, so maybe that's why they didn't have a big event to reveal the baby's sex. Also, cutting open a cake looks more dramatic for the cameras than just holding up blue or pink card. Hoping all goes well for Kate and Toby, but don't trust the writers not to throw in more tearjerking heartbreak first. Guessing Nicky ended up incarcerated somehow, and that's how he became "dead" to the family. He's living under his real name in Pennsylvania, so can't be officially dead. Randall's political campaign irritates me too much to even want to discuss it. Mildly interested to see how Beth comes to channel Debbie Allen someday.

So, during an interminable wait for test results (it's all good now!), I figured a tech mystery/thriller would be a good distraction...BAD idea! Incrediblely effective opening sequence, though. I was able to finish the movie later this week and was pleased that it lived up to the hype. The work to make the web look real and lived-in was impressive (often a big failing when movies/TV shows depict the internet) and in looking up how they did it, I stumbled upon this: https://io9.gizmodo.com/an-alien-invasion-was-happening-in-searching-you-just-1830338767

November 9–11, 2018 Estimates: 1 (N) Dr. Seuss' The Grinch $66,000,000 | 4,141 Theaters | $15,938 Avg. | $75-120M Budget | $66,000,000 2 (1) Bohemian Rhapsody $30,850,000 | 4,000 Theaters | $7,713 Avg. | $50-55M Budget | $100,010,548 3 (N) Overlord $10,100,000 | 2,859 Theaters | $3,533 Avg. | $38M Budget | $10,100,000 4 (2) The Nutcracker and the Four Realms $9,565,000 | 3,766 Theaters | $2,540 Avg. | $120-133M Budget | $35,256,534 5 (N) The Girl in the Spider's Web: A New Dragon Tattoo Story $8,015,000 | 2,929 Theaters | $2,736 Avg. | $43M Budget | $8,015,000 6 (4) A Star Is Born $8,010,000 | 2,848 Theaters | $2,813 Avg. | $36-40M Budget | $178,020,388 7 (3) Nobody's Fool $6,540,000 | 2,468 Theaters | $2,650 Avg. | $19M Budget | $24,276,108 8 (6) Venom $4,850,000 | 2,351 Theaters | $2,063 Avg. | $100-116M Budget | $206,233,603 9 (5) Halloween $3,840,000 | 2,717 Theaters | $1,413 Avg. | $10-15M Budget $156,810,845 10 (10) The Hate U Give $2,070,000 | 1,108 Theaters | $1,868 Avg. | $23M Budget | $26,705,883 11 (7) Smallfoot $1,505,000 | 1,318 Theaters | $1,142 Avg. | $80M Budget | $80,306,553 12 (16) Can You Ever Forgive Me? $1,475,000 | 391 Theaters | $3,772 Avg. | $3,609,977 13 (13) Beautiful Boy $1,404,560 | 776 Theaters | $1,810 Avg. | $19.3M Budget | $5,181,513 14 (12) Night School $950,000 | 717 Theaters | $1,325 Avg. | $29M Budget| $75,949,745 15 (11) First Man $895,000 | 815 Theaters | $1,098 Avg. | $59M Budget | $43,706,705 Boy Erased $725,000 | 77 Theaters | $9,416 Avg. | $997,164 The Old Man & the Gun $470,000 | 395 Theaters | $1,190 Avg. | $10,230,835 A Private War $201,400 | 40 Theaters | $5,035 Avg. | $283,843 The Front Runner $56,000 | 4 Theaters | $14,000 Avg. | $76,199 International Box Office: VENOM: $467.3M Overseas Total | $673.5M Global Total A STAR IS BORN: $144.8M Overseas Total | $322.8M Global Total BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: $185.2M Overseas Total | $285.2M Global Total HALLOWEEN: $88.7M Overseas Total | $245.5M Global Total SMALLFOOT: $123.6M Overseas Total | $203.9M Global Total THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS: $61.4M Overseas Total | $96.7M Global Total NIGHT SCHOOL: $20.6M Overseas Total | $96.5M Global Total FIRST MAN: $50.1M Overseas Total | $93.8M Global Total DR. SEUSS’ THE GRINCH: $12.7M Overseas Total | $78.7M Global Total OVERLORD: $9.2M Overseas Total | $19.3M Global Total THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB: A NEW DRAGON TATTOO STORY: $8.3M Overseas Total | $16.3M Global Total

Despite mixed reviews and controversy, Bohemian Rhapsody opens very highly for a musician biopic (second best only to Straight Outta Compton). As Disney tells it, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is the country's #1 Family Movie! As the industry tells it, it's a critical and commercial disappointment, though on the bright side, it's still the biggest Nutcracker movie ever, heh. The 32 days of reshoots couldn't have helped with the budget. Nobody's Fool probably would have done better with a bit more distance from Night School or having Tyler Perry's name in the title (as is the norm for his directorial efforts). November 2–4, 2018 Estimates: 1 (N) Bohemian Rhapsody $50,000,000 | 4,000 Theaters | $12,500 Avg. | $50-55M Budget | $50,000,000 2 (N) The Nutcracker and the Four Realms $20,000,000 | 3,766 Theaters | $5,311 Avg. | $120-133M Budget | $20,000,000 3 (N) Nobody's Fool $14,000,000 | 2,468 Theaters | $5,673 Avg. | $19M Budget | $14,000,000 4 (2) A Star Is Born $11,100,000 | 3,431 Theaters | $3,235 Avg. | $36-40M Budget | $165,634,566 5 (1) Halloween $11,015,000 | 3,775 Theaters | $2,918 Avg. | $10M Budget | $150,408,705 6 (3) Venom $7,850,000 | 3,067 Theaters | $2,560 Avg. | $100-116M Budget | $198,663,348 7 (8) Smallfoot $3,805,000 | 2,002 Theaters | $1,901 Avg. | $80M Budget | $77,484,301 8 (4) Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween $3,700,000 | 2,828 Theaters | $1,308 Avg. | $35M Budget | $43,832,316 9 (5) Hunter Killer $3,525,000 | 2,720 Theaters | $1,296 Avg. | $40M Budget | $12,965,116 10 (6) The Hate U Give $3,400,000 | 1,507 Theaters | $2,256 Avg. | $23M Budget | $23,460,924 11 (7) First Man $2,265,000 | 1,712 Theaters | $1,323 Avg. | $59-70M Budget | $42,055,870 12 (9) Night School $2,015,000 | 1,271 Theaters | $1,585 Avg. | $29M Budget | $74,412,215 13 (17) Beautiful Boy $1,414,800 | 540 Theaters | $2,620 Avg. | $25M Budget | $3,218,042 14 (10) Mid90s $1,360,000 | 1,091 Theaters | $1,247 Avg. | $5,820,967 15 (12) Johnny English Strikes Again $1,037,230 | 552 Theaters | $1,879 Avg. | $25M Budget | $3,253,995 Can You Ever Forgive Me? $1,032,318 | 180 Theaters | $5,735 Avg. | $1,752,458 Suspiria $964,722 | 311 Theaters | $3,102 Avg. | $20M Budget | $1,215,579 Boy Erased $220,000 | 5 Theaters | $44,000 Avg. | $220,000 Maria by Callas $152,633 | 16 Theaters | $9,540 Avg. | $152,633 A Private War $72,000 | 4 Theaters | $18,000 Avg. | $72,000 International Box Office: VENOM: $342.9M Overseas Total | $541.5M Global Total A STAR IS BORN: $128.3M Overseas Total | $293.9M Global Total HALLOWEEN: $79.2M Overseas Total | $229.6M Global Total CHRISTOPHER ROBIN: $94.6M Overseas Total | $193.6M Global Total SMALLFOOT: $115.2M Overseas Total | $192.6M Global Total BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: $91.7M Overseas Total | $141.7M Global Total JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN: $118.3M Overseas Total | $121.5M Global Total THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS: $48.8M Overseas Total | $116.1M Global Total NIGHT SCHOOL: $20.3M Overseas Total | $94.7M Global Total FIRST MAN: $45M Overseas Total | $87M Global Total GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN: $38.6M Overseas Total | $82.4M Global Total THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS: $38.5M Overseas Total | $58.5M Global Total

Boy Erased opened in limited release this weekend. Unless it's a one-weekend wonder, it will ultimately fare better at the box office than The Miseducation of Cameron Post, an August release that's just crossed the 900K mark. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=themiseducationofcameronpost.htm It always seems to happen, that you get competing movies about similar subject matter in a short timeframe. I guess a subject is topical/trendy and everybody wants in?

IRL, they were never married (just engaged) though Freddie did at times refer to Mary as his wife. He left her half of his estate, his London mansion (where she still lives) and entrusted her to keep his final resting place hidden. Here's more about their relationship: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/11/215763/mary-austin-now-freddie-mercury-wife-girlfriend-bohemian-rhapsody https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/7374218/freddie-mercury-gay-flings-engagement-mary-austin/ And more on Freddie and Jim Hutton: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/11/215897/jim-hutton-death-freddie-mercury-partner-aids-bohemian-rhapsody

It expands to 540 theaters this weekend. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/counts/chart/?yr=2018&wk=44&p=.htm The budget ($25 million) seems very high considering the subject matter vs. its commercial appeal.

But it's already the seventh biggest submarine movie ever! :) https://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=submarine.htm In all seriousness, I think Butler is coasting on his international appeal and his movies probably do well on streaming and cable.

October 26–28, 2018 Estimates: 1 (1) Halloween $32,045,000 | 3,990 Theaters | $8,031 Avg. | $10-15M Budget | $126,698,400 2 (2) A Star Is Born $14,145,000 | 3,904 Theaters | $3,623 Avg. | $36-40M Budget | $148,722,400 3 (3) Venom $10,800,000 | 3,567 Theaters | $3,028 Avg. | $100-116M Budget | $187,282,314 4 (4) Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween $7,500,000 | 3,723 Theaters | $2,015 Avg. | $35M Budget | $38,348,809 5 (N) Hunter Killer $6,650,000 | 2,728 Theaters | $2,438 Avg. | $40M Budget | $6,650,000 6 (6) The Hate U Give $5,100,000 | 2,375 Theaters | $2,147 Avg. | $23M Budget | $18,300,005 7 (5) First Man $4,935,000 | 2,959 Theaters | $1,668 Avg. | $59-70M Budget | $37,880,080 8 (7) Smallfoot $4,750,000 | 2,662 Theaters | $1,784 Avg. | $80M Budget | $72,591,050 9 (8) Night School $3,255,000 | 1,991 Theaters | $1,635 Avg. | $29M Budget | $71,451,025 10 (20) Mid90s $3,000,000 | 1,206 Theaters | $2,488 Avg. | $3,350,170 Johnny English Strikes Again $1,626,000 | 544 Theaters | $2,989 Avg. | $1,626,000 Indivisible $1,575,000 | 830 Theaters | $1,898 Avg. | $2.7M Budget | $1,575,000 Free Solo $1,061,659 | 394 Theaters | $2,695 Avg. | $5,177,991 Beautiful Boy $592,897 | 192 Theaters | $3,088 Avg. | $25M Budget | $1,435,094 Can You Ever Forgive Me? $380,000 | 25 Theaters | $15,200 Avg. | $610,139 Suspiria $179,806 | 2 Theaters | $89,903 Avg. | $20M Budget | $179,806 (now 2018's per theater average, albeit from just 2 theaters) Wildlife $111,274 | 18 Theaters | $6,182 Avg. | $249,393 International Box Office: VENOM: $321.1M Overseas Total | $508.4M Global Total THE NUN: $245.3M Overseas Total | $362.1M Global Total A STAR IS BORN: $104.6M Overseas Total | $253.3M Global Total CRAZY RICH ASIANS: $60.9M Overseas Total | $233.3M Global Total HALLOWEEN: $45.6M Overseas Total | $172.3M Global Total THE PREDATOR: $98.2M Overseas Total | $149.1M Global Total THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS: $44.8M Overseas Total | $111.3M Global Total JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN: $107.7M Overseas Total | $109.3M Global Total NIGHT SCHOOL: $19.1M Overseas Total | $90.5M Global Total FIRST MAN: $36.6M Overseas Total | $74.4M Global Total GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN: $24.2M Overseas Total | $62.5M Global Total BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: $12.2M UK & Global Total

I doubt Vox Lux will be the sort of movie that attracts a big mainstream audience anyway, but going by that trailer, you'd never know that Natalie Portman is only in half of the movie--not really a spoiler IMO as the studio is campaigning her in Supporting categories for awards consideration (it's a similar situation to Dev Patel in Lion). The trailer does at least hint at the It's always interesting to see what strategy studios take when they have a challenging project to sell, whether they embrace the reality or try making it seem as conventional as possible.