Dejana

A mini-Today's Take reunion yesterday with excellent timing :)

No Oscars for "Why Did You Do That" :) https://www.warnerbros2018.com/screenings/for-your-consideration/?film=astarisborn

It's been a while since I read Little Women but I didn't picture Laurie as a jock type necessarily, but definitely a charming guy who knows how handsome and appealing he is. Maybe if Harry Styles wanted to act in another movie? Last year, Sarah Polley wrote a #MeToo editorial and mentioned a run-in with Weinstein among her experiences.

October 19–21, 2018 Estimates: 1 (N) Halloween $77,501,000 | 3,928 Theaters | $19,730 Avg. | $10-15M Budget | $77,501,000 2 (2) A Star Is Born $19,300,000 | 3,884 Theaters | $4,969 Avg. | $36-40M Budget | $126,376,246 3 (1) Venom $18,105,000 | 3,887 Theaters | $4,658 Avg. | $100-116M Budget | $171,125,095 4 (4) Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween $9,715,000 | 3,521 Theaters | $2,759 Avg. | $35M Budget | $28,804,812 5 (3) First Man $8,565,000 | 3,640 Theaters | $2,353 Avg. | $59-70M Budget | $29,999,050 6 (9) The Hate U Give $7,500,000 | 2,303 Theaters | $3,257 Avg. | $23M Budget | $10,641,873 7 (5) Smallfoot $6,615,000 | 3,032 Theaters | $2,182 Avg. | $80M Budget | $66,366,035 8 (6) Night School $5,000,000 | 2,296 Theaters | $2,178 Avg. | $29M Budget | $66,906,825 9 (7) Bad Times At The El Royale $3,300,000 | 2,808 Theaters | $1,175 Avg. | $32M Budget | $13,341,801 10 (15) The Old Man & the Gun $2,050,000 | 802 Theaters | $2,556 Avg. | $4,200,856 Free Solo $1,009,168 | 251 Theaters | $4,021 Avg. | $3,592,812 The Sisters Brothers $742,014 | 1,141 Theaters | $650 Avg. | $38M Budget | $1,970,731 Colette $585,020 | 520 Theaters | $1,125 Avg. | $3,693,223 Beautiful Boy $439,056 | 48 Theaters | $9,147 Avg. | $25M Budget | $722,008 Can You Ever Forgive Me? $150,000 | 5 Theaters | $30,000 Avg. | $150,000 Wildlife $105,614 | 4 Theaters | $26,404 Avg. | $105,614 International Box Office: VENOM: $290.7M Overseas Total | $461.2M Global Total THE NUN: $243.3M Overseas Total | $360M Global Total CRAZY RICH ASIANS: $59.1M Overseas Total | $230.8M Global Total A STAR IS BORN: $74.7M Overseas Total | $201.1M Global Total CHRISTOPHER ROBIN: $88.1M Overseas Total | $186.8M Global Total SMALLFOOT: $70.8M Overseas Total | $137.1M Global Total THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS: $39.7M Overseas Total | $104.6M Global Total HALLOWEEN: $14.3M Overseas Total | $91.8M Global Opening Weekend NIGHT SCHOOL: $17.5M Overseas Total | $84.4M Global Total A SIMPLE FAVOR: $31M Overseas Total | $83.9M Global Total FIRST MAN: $25.5M Overseas Total | $55.4M Global Total

Love it! I can't stop listening to the soundtrack! I knew Lady Gaga had an amazing voice, but Bradley Cooper's vocals are fantastic as well. There's a real versatility to his voice that you wouldn't expect from somebody who isn't really a professional singer. You have to wonder how much things have been sweetened in the studio (or if there is a hidden ghost vocalist waiting to be uncovered by the Oscar bloggers), but if they could make every actor sound that good, you wouldn't have the Pierce Brosnan, Russell Crowe musical debacles.

Overall, TV viewership is currently at much higher levels in the UK, relative to population, than in the US. Specifically with SCD vs. DWTS, despite the US having a population five times as big as the UK, the Sunday SCD results show averaged 9.2 million viewers (peaking with 9.9 million) while the most recent DWTS averaged 7.12 million. Granted, Strictly had one of its celeb/pro pairs in the midst of a cheating scandal that got front-page headlines (as there was video evidence), but even last week, before the scandal, SCD had more viewers than DWTS, despite drawing from a fifth of the population. The viewing patterns of the two countries are so different, it's different audiences, and what works in one country might not in another. DWTS could be doing everything right, and the ratings would still be well off their peak because primetime network viewership has just dropped precipitously in the US in the last half of the decade. UK ratings: https://www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/tvfilm/strictly-come-dancing-ratings-99-million-tune-into-to-watch-seann-walsh-survive-on-results-show-a3962146.html US ratings: https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/tv-ratings-monday-oct-15-2018/

DWTS: The White Guy With Guitar years! Time to bring back the ordinal rankings...

Troubled times at Annapurna Pictures: Losing "hundreds of millions of dollars", distribution woes, offloading upcoming projects to other studios, with Larry Ellison taking a more active role, but according to studio insiders, he "is not interested in putting his money behind politically charged material". Creative types in the industry are very worried about the studio's future, even if it doesn't go under.

The Top 2 movies repeat as First Man underwhelms in its opening weekend. Too much competition for the adult audience, too little interest in the subject or did the flag controversy genuinely hurt with its target demo? It could finish under Goosebumps 2 with the final numbers. Maybe the studio should have gone for a 50th anniversary tie-in release next summer? October 12–14, 2018 Estimates: 1 (1) Venom $35,700,000 | 4,250 Theaters | $8,400 Avg. | $100-116M Budget | $142,802,151 2 (2) A Star Is Born $28,000,000 | 3,708 Theaters | $7,551 Avg. | $36M Budget | $94,160,360 3 (N) First Man $16,500,000 | 3,640 Theaters | $4,533 Avg. | $59-70M Budget | $16,500,000 4 (N) Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween $16,225,000 | 3,521 Theaters| $4,608 Avg. | $35M Budget | $16,225,000 5 (3) Smallfoot $9,300,000 | 3,606 Theaters | $2,579 Avg. | $80M Budget | $57,608,221 6 (4) Night School $8,035,000 | 2,780 Theaters | $2,890 Avg. | $29M Budget | $59,843,950 7 (N) Bad Times At The El Royale $7,225,000 | 2,808 Theaters| $2,573 Avg. | $32M Budget | $7,225,000 8 (5) The House With A Clock In Its Walls $3,975,000 | 2,791 Theaters | $1,424 Avg. | $42M Budget | $62,251,500 9 (13) The Hate U Give $1,765,000 | 248 Theaters | $7,117 Avg. | $2,477,314 10 (7) The Nun $1,345,355 | 1,174 Theaters | $1,146 Avg. | $22M Budget | $115,900,401 A Simple Favor $1,380,000 | 1,452 Theaters | $950 Avg. | $20M Budget | $52,037,508 Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer $1,235,800 | 673 Theaters | $1,836 Avg. | $4M Budget | $1,235,800 Crazy Rich Asians $1,078,000 | 738 Theaters | $1,461 Avg. | $30M Budget | $171,367,368 Colette $1,037,234 | 593 Theaters | $1,749 Avg. | $2,589,686 The Old Man & the Gun $912,000 | 228 Theaters | $4,000 Avg. | $1,696,924 The Sisters Brothers $258,355 | 129 Theaters | $2,003 Avg. | $38M Budget | $1,070,839 Beautiful Boy $221,437 | 4 Theaters | $55,359 Avg. | $25M Budget | $221,437 The Wife $215,872 | 201 Theaters | $1,074 Avg. | $7,241,977 Jane and Emma $122,000 | 21 Theaters | $5,810 Avg. | $122,000 International Box Office: INCREDIBLES 2: $620.0M Overseas Total | $1.227B Global Total MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT: $570.4M Overseas Total | $790.6M Global Total ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: $405.6M Overseas Total | $622.1M Global Total VENOM: $235.3M Overseas Total | $378.1M Global Total THE NUN: $243.1M Overseas Total | $359M Global Total CRAZY RICH ASIANS: $57M Overseas Total | $228.3M Global Total CHRISTOPHER ROBIN: $82.1M Overseas Total | $180.7M Global Total A STAR IS BORN: $41.2M Overseas Total | $135.3M Global Total THE PREDATOR: $75M Overseas Total | $125.7M Global Total SMALLFOOT: $52.6M Overseas Total | $110.2M Global Total A HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS: $39.6M Overseas Total | $101.8M Global Total A SIMPLE FAVOR: $31M Overseas Total | $83M Global Total NIGHT SCHOOL: $15.4M Overseas Total | $75.2M Global Total FIRST MAN: $8.6M Overseas Total | $25.1M Global Total

Hogsmeade is a magical village so I think today's Hogwarts students would be SOL, trying to get online while they're away at school. Sometimes I wonder if JKR has stuck to the Wizarding World's past with the FB movies and even that play (given its subject matter/structure) because it's a way to sidestep all the magic vs. millennial technology issues

If we go with Rebecca being born in 1950 (I think she mentioned she would be 30 soon, when she got pregnant), she could have graduated from high school in 1968, approximately. So if the wood shop scene was supposed to be in, say, 1965, that was still a time where fairly rigid dress codes at public schools were pretty widespread and prior to the hippie movement being mainstream.

I wouldn't be surprised if she did end up with multiples but not triplets in the strictest sense, more like a combo of overlapping pregnancies between Kate and a surrogate. I agree, the writers would think it was precious if one of the Big Three had a big three of their own. FYI, Nadya Suleman (Octomom) had IVF but the doctor was expelled from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suleman_octuplets

The Octomom's doctor was widely condemned by more reputable experts in the industry (I think she claimed he only transferred 5-6 embryos and some naturally split, but still) and that was nearly 10 years ago. Kate Gosselin didn't have IVF but took drugs that caused her to ovulate more eggs than normal. It's how she and Jon had their older twins, so they figured that at the most, they'd end up with two more kids. The onscreen fertility doctor is taking a chance with Kate already, but she's been presented as someone ethical so far, not likely the type to implant a bunch of embryos to improve the odds. She's concerned about Kate's weight as it is, and a triplet+ pregnancy at that? Although, didn't Fogelman initially have the idea of the show as a movie about octuplets? Hmmmm.... Seriously, I predict Kate/Toby will have an unsuccessful round or two of IVF before gestational surrogacy is broached.

Embryos can be frozen; if there are more than two, I seriously doubt they would all be implanted at once.

They say celebrities stop maturing at the age they were when they got famous and while I wouldn't call JKR is immature, for years she had a massive fandom who treated her like she could do no wrong, with most critics easily dismissed—religious nutjobs, angry shippers, haters pigeonholing HP as a children's book—or confined to forums/chats that didn't have the reach of Twitter, it has to do a number on a person and give someone a bit of an ego. Also, in looking at the demography of the UK and Ireland for the last 30-40 years, Hogwarts was probably equally or more racially diverse than her actual school days in the 1970-1980s (probably the same for people like Yates and David Heyman, son of a movie producer), so it took them a long time to get what people were going on about, with representation. She tries now, but it's just clunky and labored and very obviously out of her wheelhouse. I wish she'd just done a Marauders prequel (no need to branch out beyond the UK) or had turned to Quidditch Through the Ages as the film series instead (fresh characters, less chance to contradict the books). Hogwarts either had a 1,000 students or about 10 students per house, per year, depending on the needs of the story. Math was really not her strong suit, she admitted it, expanding it to the entire world makes it even more glaring. Most UK students also go to day schools, too, though there is that history of boarding school literature and the heavy influence the Eton/Harrow/etc. set have had on the culture and country. The problem with a fantasy story like this is that the author is free to handwave any logical inconsistencies by calling, "Magic!" Especially for background elements like how other countries' schools work, as opposed to intricate plots involving the main characters. Good point! Though I never understood how there were magical characters who were able to marry Muggles before revealing the truth, given how insular wizards tended to be. If even a Muggle enthusiast like Mr. Weasley could be so clueless, how did other wizards not raise alarm bells with potential love interests in the early stages? Ditto with how Muggle-borns ever catch up to wizards even if they aren't taught how to do magic before 11.

I haven't seen Venom, but the reviews make it sound as though Tom Hardy's performance is kind of bonkers and the movie is more of a throwback to 2000s superhero films than the more recent MCU/DC efforts. In the age of streaming, some people only go to theaters for movies with a big spectacle. Others feel that if they are going to expend the time and money to go to a movie theater, they want to know they are going to like it and gravitate towards stories that color within certain lines. I think that's why spoilers are popular in general these days. Comic book movies have built in fanbases, and plenty of people feel like they get enough reality by following current events and want to escape to worlds with superheroes to save the day and the villainous havoc is purely fictional. A Star Is Born made $1.6 million more than estimates and held nicely yesterday. October 5–7. 2018 Final Weekend Numbers: (lifetime total in parentheses): 1. Venom $80,255,756 ($89,887,099) 2. A Star Is Born $42,908,051 ($51,002,502) 3. Smallfoot $14,402,559 ($45,315,688) 4. Night School $12,514,925 ($48,701,395) 5. The House With A Clock In Its Walls $7,332,665 ($56,501,725) 6. A Simple Favor $3,424,954 ($49,510,207) 7. The Nun $2,703,281 ($113,844,853) 8. Crazy Rich Asians $2,166,626 ($169,634,940) 9. Hell Fest $2,083,759 ($9,162,361) 10. The Predator $947,358 ($50,187,050)

Venon breaks the October opening weekend record by a comfortable margin. IMO, it had too many trailer views to flop, but it's about $20 million more than I expected. People seem to like it despite the critical drubbing so I think it could have decent legs for the genre. A Star Is Born is also off to a great start, considering that it's an R-rated musical drama. Overall, it does make for a top heavy Top 10, though. October 5–7. 2018 Estimates: 1 (N) Venom $80,030,000 | 4,250 Theaters | $18,831 Avg. | $100-116M Budget | $80,030,000 2 (N) A Star is Born $41,250,000 | 3,686 Theaters | $11,191 Avg. | $36M Budget | $42,600,000 3 (2) Smallfoot $14,900,000 | 4,131 Theaters | $3,607 Avg. | $80M Budget | $42,760,945 4 (1) Night School $12,275,000 | 3,019 Theaters | $4,066 Avg. | $29M Budget | $46,750,355 5 (3) The House With A Clock In Its Walls $7,295,000 | 3,463 Theaters | $2,107 Avg. | $42M Budget | $55,050,560 6 (4) A Simple Favor $3,435,000 | 2,408 Theaters | $1,426 Avg. | $20M Budget | $49,014,356 7 (5) The Nun $2,610,000 | 2,264 Theaters | $1,153 Avg. | $22M Budget | $113,367,310 8 (6) Hell Fest $2,075,000 | 2,297 Theaters | $903 Avg. | $5.5M Budget | $8,864,476 9 (7) Crazy Rich Asians $2,060,000 | 1,466 Theaters | $1,405 Avg. | $30M Budget | $169,134,942 10 (8) The Predator $900,000 | 1,643 Theaters | $548 Avg. | $88M Budget | $49,985,889 Free Solo $540,000 | 41 Theaters | $13,171 Avg. | $953,911 The Hate U Give $500,000 | 36 Theaters | $13,889 Avg. | $500,000 Colette $458,831 | 107 Theaters | $4,288 Avg. | $1,238,386 Shine $218,789 | 609 Theaters | $359 Avg. | $218,789 The Sisters Brothers $207,229 | 54 Theaters | $3,838 Avg. | $693,727 Little Women $155,000 | 451 Theaters | $344 Avg. | $1,153,616 Tea with the Dames $67,573 | 44 Theaters | $1,536 Avg. | $154,806

No, it isn't that. Wanting to have a biological child is a perfectly ordinary (if not universal) impulse that Randall would understand perfectly well, considering that he already has two of his own. If Kate had just said, "When I married Toby, I imagined us having kids with his sense of humor and my voice, and I'm not ready to let go of that dream," or something like that, her brothers wouldn't have been offended by that sentiment. It was just Kate's attitude that only she could carry on Jack's bloodline that rankled. Maybe she wasn't thinking that being able to have Jack's biological grandchild makes her better/more special than her brothers, and it wasn't meant to be imply anything negative about Tess and Annie but IMO it's not a huge leap for someone else to feel underlying judgment in her remark. The more I think about Kate's comment, the more disrespectful it seems all around. It was all about carrying on Jack's DNA, like that kid wouldn't be just as much Rebecca's grandchild. Of course, she was mad at her mother at the time and they have a difficult relationship, so she wouldn't think of it that way. If this were real life, I wouldn't recommend Kate becoming a mother anytime soon, but since this is a TV show... I'm kind of hoping she has 2-3 kids with at least one who looks just like Rebecca, none who resemble her father and maybe two boys, one she names Jack and the other who grows up resenting her for the favoritism.

I wonder how much of Kate's drive to have a biological child and the avoidance (so far) of considering alternatives is a function of the writers not wanting to do an adoption story again, because they've already gone that route with Randall. As a result, either intentionally or unconsciously, the writers have completely steered Kate away from even considering that direction.

Kate reflects on her past and present while under anesthesia? It must be exciting for all the Kates to share scenes together for once.

I admit that crossed my mind...in real life attractive people cross paths without it a leading to anything romantic, but this is TV show, if Randall isn't going to be even tempted at some point, someone far less good looking would have been cast in that role. I get Rebecca's concerns, but not the time. Plus, she knows bringing up Kate's weight with her in any way is just a sore subject. The flashbacks showed that Rebecca has a way of choking down her concerns about the kids in the name of keeping the peace, so maybe she just couldn't anymore in the present. Kate is in a better place with her mom, but old patterns are hard to break. Eloise isn't bad on its own but with Plaza? Oh dear.

Both? Kevin Hart is more established and has a proven track record, but Tiffany Haddish was the breakout star of Girls Trip, won an Emmy and has really made a name for herself as a celebrity in the past year or so. She has another starring role coming out in November, directed by Tyler Perry but (so far) not a "Tyler Perry" movie—his first R-rated effort! Curious to see how that goes... I haven't heard good things about Venom, but the trailer views are massive. so theaters will be busy next weekend between it and A Star Is Born. The Halloween sequel is also likely to get off to a big start later in the month.

Ever wonder how Little Women would have played out, 150 years later? Hurry to theaters in the next couple of weeks, wait for it to hit streaming in another month or two, or just watch the trailer summarize the whole thing:

September 28–30, 2018 Estimates: 1 (N) Night School $28,000,000 | 3,010 Theaters | $9,302 Avg. | $29M Budget | $28,000,000 (biggest comedy opening of 2018) 2 (N) Smallfoot $23,020,000 | 4,131 Theaters | $5,573 Avg. | $80M Budget | $23,020,000 3 (1) The House With A Clock In Its Walls $12,510,000 | 3,592 Theaters | $3,483 Avg. | $42M Budget | $44,765,225 4 (2) A Simple Favor $6,600,000 | 3,073 Theaters | $2,148 Avg. | $20M Budget | $43,066,808 5 (3) The Nun $5,435,000 | 3,331 Theaters | $1,632 Avg. | $22M Budget | $109,018,048 6 (N) Hell Fest $5,075,000 | 2,297 Theaters | $2,209 Avg. | $5.5M Budget | $5,075,000 7 (5) Crazy Rich Asians $4,150,000 | 2,347 Theaters | $1,768 Avg. | $30M Budget | $165,681,775 8 (4) The Predator $3,700,000 | 2,926 Theaters | $1,265 Avg. | $88M Budget | $47,634,251 9 (6) White Boy Rick $2,385,000 | 2,017 Theaters | $1,182 Avg. | $29M Budget | $21,714,781 10 (7) Peppermint $1,770,000 | 2,002 Theaters | $884 Avg. | $25M Budget | $33,536,908 The Wife $777,386 | 437 Theaters | $1,779 Avg. | $6,104,060 Little Women $747,000 | 643 Theaters | $1,162 Avg. | $747,000 (a modern adaptation - trailer) Colette $418,501 | 38 Theaters | $11,013 Avg. | $638,932 Christopher Robin $370,000 | 670 Theaters | $552 Avg. | $70-75M Budget | $97,571,497 Free Solo $300,804 | 4 Theaters | $75,201 Avg. | $300,804 (best per-theater average of 2018) The Sisters Brothers $244,091 | 27 Theaters | $9,040 Avg. | $404,814 The Old Man & the Gun $150,000 | 5 Theaters | $30,000 Avg. | $150,000 Monsters and Men $130,979 | 18 Theaters | $7,277 Avg. | $130,979 Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. $51,373 | 2 Theaters | $25,687 Avg. | $51,373 International Box Office: INCREDIBLES 2: $603.3M Overseas Total | $1.210B Global Total MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT: $570.7M Overseas Total | $789.8M Global Total THE MEG: $379.3M Overseas Total | $521.2M Global Total THE NUN: $221M Overseas Total | $330M Global Total CRAZY RICH ASIANS: $53.2M Overseas Total | $218.8M Global Total CHRISTOPHER ROBIN: $67.9M Overseas Total | $165.5M Global Total THE PREDATOR: $68.2M Overseas Total | $115.8M Global Total BLACKKKLANSMAN: $32.6M Overseas Total | $80.4M Global Total A SIMPLE FAVOR: $19.8M Overseas Total | $62.8M Global Total SEARCHING: $36.4M Overseas Total | $61.2M Global Total

Network TV got much higher ratings in the 1990s than now and the ad rates corresponded with that. I watched soap operas and the the top stars in the industry indicated indicated that their salaries went down as the fortunes of daytime TV declined. It might also be a sitcom vs drama thing, since sitcoms have traditionally been easier to syndicate. They're streaming, but I don't know if TIU is generating the same sort of money per week that ER did back in the George Clooney days.