Can anyone stop Deadpool at the box office? This week a mortal hero, some Egyptian gods, corrupt cops, tough criminals, an underdog British Olympic hopeful and Wolverine (well, sort of!) all try to dethrone the antihero. Let’s take a peek at this week’s releases:
Gods of Egypt
Theater Count: 3,100+
Starring: Gerard Butler, Nikolai Coster-Waldau, Brenton Thwaites, Geoffrey Rush, Rufus Sewell
Buzz:
Coming in with a $140 million budget and predictions of a $15 million opening weekend does not bode well for Gods of Egypt. The backlash for it’s lack of cultural diversity in casting a movie set in the Middle East didn’t help matters, either. The likely box office results will be a collective “Apology not accepted” to the director and studio.
3 Things to Know:
- Gods of Egypt was ripped in the press for “white-washing” the cast
- None of the film’s stars — sans Gerard Butler (maybe!) — are box office draws which makes the “white-washing” of the cast unusual
- The market for Gods of Egypt may be bigger overseas as 2010’s Clash of the Titans made $163 million domestically but scored a $330 million haul outside of the U.S.
See the Trailer:
Required Viewing:
None
Optional Past Viewing:
MHT Hot Take:
Skip it! This looks like a shit show.
Triple 9
Theater Count: 2,205
Starring: Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Aaron Paul, Kate Winslet, Teresa Palmer
Buzz:
The trailers for Triple 9 have generated some excitement from fans of the gangster/corrupt cop genre but the critical reception has been mixed. It’s hard to ignore the strong cast but typically when movies with a cast of this caliber are above average, the film drops in the summer and if it is great, it is saved for Awards season. It might have enough to beat Gods of Egypt but knocking off Deadpool would be the real accomplishment and that’s probably not going to happen.
3 Things to Know:
- While the cast is strong, original casting included Michael B. Jordan, Christoph Waltz, Shia LeBouf and Cate Blanchett
- Nick Cave was originally slated to compose the film’s score but eventually the score was composed by Attics Ross and his wife Claudia Sarne
- “999” is police code for officer down
See the Trailer:
Required Viewing:
None
Optional Past Viewing:
MHT Hot Take:
See it! No matter how bad Triple 9 ends up being, Michael K. Williams (Omar from The Wire) is in it and MHT endorses any film casting Williams in any role, no matter how small the part.
Eddie the Eagle
Theater Count: 2,000
Starring: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Christopher Walken
Buzz:
With moderately positive reviews and a somewhat heavy marketing blitz, Eddie the Eagle is an underdog that can’t be easily dismissed in this week’s box office race. However, releasing on roughly 2,000 screens will keep it from a huge haul no matter how many people want to see it. It wouldn’t be surprising for to see Eddie the Eagle beat Gods of Egypt but it looks like nothing is going to stop Deadpool from a third week at #1.
3 Things to Know:
- From all accounts, Eddie the Eagle is a mostly fictionalized telling of Michael “Eddie the Eagle” Edwards and his attempt to become the first Olympic ski jumper from Great Britain
- Hugh Jackman’s character did not exist in the real life story of “Eddie the Eagle”
- The Eddie “the Eagle” Rule was instituted in 1990 to keep side show’s like Edwards out of the Olympics by requiring Olympic hopefuls to compete internationally and finish in the top 30% with a maximum of 50 qualifiers
See the Trailer:
Required Viewing:
None
Optional Past Viewing:
MHT Hot Take:
Skip it… unless Triple 9 isn’t your thing and you don’t want to see Deadpool again, then see it!
Box Office Predictions for the February 26th Weekend:
- Deadpool ($30,000,000)
- Triple 9 ($14,000,000)
- Gods of Egypt ($12,000,000)
- Eddie the Eagle ($8,500,000)
- Kung Fu Panda ($8,000,000)
“Skip it… unless Triple 9 isn’t your thing and you don’t want to see Deadpool again, then see it!”
I might just people-watch at the Concord Mall with those options.
Some jackwagon will probably be dressed in that Chick-fil-a Cow costume.