It would be shocking if Zootopia doesn’t hold on to the top box office spot for a 2nd straight week but J.J. Abrams already pulled a fast one with the 10 Cloverfield Lane trailer. Will it mean box office magic for the film shrouded in mystery? The big question for The Brothers Grimsby is will Sacha Baron Cohen actually appear on a jumping shark in the film? Finally, there’s potential box office gold in the faith-based The Young Messiah and the same for The Perfect Match as it targets the African American audience. Let’s take a look at this week’s new theatrical releases:
10 Cloverfield Lane
Theater Count: 3,391
Starring: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr.
Buzz:
Where the heck did this one come from? Give J.J. Abrams credit as no one saw 10 Cloverfield Lane coming when the trailer dropped out of nowhere. The marketing has been perfect, the reviews aren’t bad and even the poster is cool… okay, so maybe just the IMAX poster is cool.
3 Things to Know:
- The film’s script was originally titled The Cellar and the project was referred to as Valencia at Bad Robot (that’s how you keep things “hush hush”)
- The movie was shot in 36 days in New Orleans, the physical script was printed on red paper and all digital video was sent with a limited viewing window (think Snapchat) because “Shhhhh!”
- The cast didn’t even know the true title of the film until a few hours before the trailer dropped
See the Trailer:
Required Viewing:
Optional Past Viewing:
MHT Hot Take:
See it! If only for what this movie was able to pull off, 10 Cloverfield Lane needs to be a commercial success to push the effort to keep movies under wraps.
The Brothers Grimsby
Theater Count: 2,235
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Penelope Cruz, Rebel Wilson
Buzz:
So far, The Brothers Grimsby hasn’t been making a lot of positive waves. The reviews are mixed (which is the most positive thing that can be said) but Sacha Baron Cohen is taking the same approach to this film as has with everything else he’s ever done. Plus, there’s the rumor that Sony execs are upset about a controversial Donald Trump scene. The drummed up controversy feels more like free publicity than anything else.
3 Things to Know:
- Cohen made an Apple keynote speech spoof to hype the film
- Cohen appeared as Borat on Jimmy Kimmel to screen one of the film’s trailers
- The controversy surrounding the film and Trump is that the film version of Trump has AIDS
See the Trailer:
Required Viewing:
None
Optional Past Viewing:
MHT Hot Take:
See it! Not because it looks good but during Cohen’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel, he did a bit that, once you watch it, you’re going to have to see The Brothers Grimsby.
The Young Messiah
Theater Count: 1,761
Starring: Adam Greaves-Neal, Sara Lazzaro, Vincent Walsh
Buzz:
It’s now an expectation for all faith-based films to blow up at the box office. Sometimes, it happens. Other times, it doesn’t blow up but still does well. Like Risen which is also in theaters, The Young Messiah has used the GOP debates to target a potential audience. We’ll see if the plan works as projections for the film are somewhat conservative.
3 Things to Know:
- The film is based on a novel written by Anne Rice (yes, the Anne Rice who wrote Interview With the Vampire)
- Some considered Risen the unofficial sequel to The Passion of the Christ making The Young Messiah the unofficial prequel
- In addition to the Rice novel, director Cyrus Nowrasteh consulted with a group of theological consultants to raise any red flags the content of the script might cause
See the Trailer:
Required Viewing:
None
Optional Past Viewing:
MHT Hot Take:
Skip it? On the fence with this one. If you’re asking, you probably should skip it. If you’re looking for confirmation, you probably should see it.
The Perfect Match
Theater Count: 925
Starring: Terrence Jenkins, Cassie Ventura, Paula Patton, Brandy Norwood, Donald Faison
Buzz:
Another niche market film gets a modest release as The Perfect Match targets the African American audience. Like faith-based films, films with African American casts have also been box office booms. Most recently, The Perfect Guy did extremely well despite a poor critical reception and a conservative screen count. The Perfect Match isn’t looking for similar box office numbers but it win the per screen average race this week.
3 Things to Know:
- Director Billie Woodruff’s last release with Lionsgate — Addicted — was a critical bomb but brought in a healthy $7.5 million opening weekend on just 846 screens
- Actress Paula Patton is the ex-wife of recording artist Robin Thicke
- Terrence Jenkins is better known as Terrence J, previously the host of BET’s 106 & Park and co-anchor of E! News
See the Trailer:
Required Viewing:
None
Optional Past Viewing:
MHT Hot Take:
Skip it! The Perfect Match is one of those movies that you’re not talking anyone into or out of but judging purely on the quality of the trailer, the recommendation is to pass.
Hello, My Name is Doris
Theater Count: 4
Starring: Sally Field, Max Greenfield
Buzz:
It’s been nearly 10 years since Sally Field has had a starring role (20 if you only count movies people have actually seen). This film will likely have a bigger life as a rental/streaming option but expect huge per screen averages opening weekend… not that that means much on 4 screens.
3 Things to Know:
- Field’s last two starring roles were 2007’s Two Weeks and 1996’s Eye for an Eye
- Max Greenfield is the object of infatuation in the film for Field’s character — there’s a 34 year age difference
- The film had it’s premiere at SXSW last year
See the Trailer:
Required Viewing:
None
Optional Past Viewing:
MHT Hot Take:
See it! The critical acclaim is there already. Is it worth the acclaim? Well, you can’t know unless you see it, right?
Box Office Predictions for March 11th Weekend:
- Zootopia ($46,000,000)
- 10 Cloverfield Lane ($24,000,000)
- Deadpool ($11,000,000)
- London Has Fallen ($9,250,000)
- The Brothers Grimsby ($8,000,000)
- The Young Messiah ($7,100,000)
- The Perfect Match ($5,300,000)