Last week, the box office saw 5 movies rack up $20 million+. This week, two movies are expected to début at over $20 million and one from last week should hold as well. The expectation is for Jason Bourne to walk away with the box office crown but can Bad Moms knock off Star Trek Beyond for the second spot? Nerve actually hit theaters on Wednesday but could finish anywhere from 5th to 8th for the weekend. In addition, to the trio of wide releases, there are 5 platform releases that may or may not cast a wider net in the coming weeks (like Café Society and Captain Fantastic will be doing this week). Here are MHT’s recommendations on what to see and not see for the week of July 29th:
Jason Bourne
Theater Counts: 4,026
Starring: Matt Damon, Alicia Vikander, Julia Stiles, Tommy Lee Jones, Vincent Cassel, Riz Ahmed
Buzz:
It’s been 8 years since The Bourne Ultimatum and while the series was kept alive by an off-shoot of the Bourne movies with The Bourne Legacy, Matt Damon as Jason Bourne is what people want and with the return of Damon in Jason Bourne, that’s what they’ll be getting. Each movie in the Bourne series has opened to a bigger weekend audience. The Bourne Identity opened at $27.1 million in ’02 and The Bourne Supremacy opened at $52.5 million 2 years later. In ’07, The Bourne Ultimatum became the most successful film in the franchise with a $69.3 million opening and a total haul of $227.5 million. While it is expected to see Jason Bourne top $50 million in its opening weekend, an Ultimatum-like opening close to $70 million seems unlikely.
See the Trailer:
MHT Hot Take:
See it! The reviews are mixed but you didn’t come this far in the series to bail now. While most series feel strained by their fourth chapter, the Bourne series only feels pointless because of the ridiculous amounts of sequels and reboots we’ve suffered through this year.
Bad Moms
Theater Count: 3,215
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Christina Applegate, Jada Pinkett Smith, Annie Mumolo
Buzz:
Bad Moms taps into the most undervalued market for movie audiences: Women. While Jason Bourne will be counting on men to drag their wives and girlfriends to the action flick they want to see and kids will still be dragging moms to see one of the trio of animated offerings still hanging around at the box office, this is the movie most women will want to see. In addition, it hasn’t been the best summer for comedies so we’re due. Will Bad Moms break $25 million? How about $30 million? If it breaks $30 million, it has a chance to pass Star Trek Beyond for 2nd place and really give STX Entertainment something to celebrate.
See the Trailer:
MHT Hot Take:
See it! While it’s not deep and only lands a few glancing blows with its commentary, this movie does what it aims to do and delivers some big laughs. It’s a ridiculous and outrageous at times and has a ton of energy. (Check out the full Movie Hot Take review this weekend.)
Nerve
Theater Count: 2,538
Starring: Emma Roberts, Dave Franco
Buzz:
Nerve‘s Wednesday opening should hold it back a little this weekend but younger audiences may opt to see this over an aging action series and middle aged moms. This could open anywhere from $8 million to $12 million this weekend and possibly even crack the top 5 which would be a huge win for the $20 million thriller. Early reviews are mixed but audiences have approved with a 79% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
See the Trailer:
MHT Hot Take:
See it! We’re easy this week. Plus, it’s been a slow month so it’s good to see July finishing with a handful of flicks worth making a trip to the multiplex for.
Into the Forest
Theater Count: 15
Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Ellen Page
Buzz:
This Sci-Fi offering from A24 looks interesting and has been received somewhat decently by critics. With A24’s track record, it’s hard to dismiss Into the Forest as capable of expanding but it might be one of their rare offerings that don’t expand.
See the Trailer:
MHT Hot Take:
Skip it! (For now.) If Into the Forest expands in the coming weeks, this will be one to seek out but we’ll take a wait and see attitude toward the Sci-Fi thriller.
Viral
Theater Count: 11
Starring: Analeigh Tipton
Buzz:
I can’t remember a time where two movies by the same director (director team in this case) were released in the same week. With Nerve and Viral, Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman have done just that. Okay, so technically Nerve came out on Wednesday so it isn’t quite the same day but it’s still a pretty odd move. The Blumhouse Productions release is getting a small release before hitting the home video market on August 2nd so this is more of a technical oddity than anything but it’s still worth pointing out.
See the Trailer:
MHT Hot Take:
Skip it! This one isn’t worth the trip to theaters but might be something to pick up on DVD or on demand.
Equity
Theater Count: 4
Starring: Anna Gun, James Purefoy, Sarah Megan Thomas, Alysia Reiner
Buzz:
It’s being sold as the female equivalent of The Wolf of Wall Street. Of all the releases this week, this one has scored the best with critics early on with a 79% Tomatometer but only a 50% audience score. That doesn’t bode well for a wider release.
See the Trailer:
Movie Hot Take:
Skip it! Another release that can wait. It’s an interesting concept but one that can definitely wait for the home market.
Indignation
Theater Count: 4
Starring: Sarah Gadon, Logan Lerman, Tracy Letts
Buzz:
Like Equity, Indignation has scored well with critics at 79%. Unlike Equity, the early audience reviews are phenomenal with the film at a 99% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. If these early indications are accurate, expect Indignation to earn a wider release in the weeks to come.
See the Trailer:
Movie Hot Take:
See it! You might have to wait for it but this one might be one worth waiting for.
The Land
Theater Count: 2
Starring: Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Moises Arias, Rafi Gavron, Ezri Walker, Erykah Badu
Buzz:
Your typical IFC release that hits the home market soon after.
See the Trailer:
Movie Hot Take:
Skip it! Another wait for video release that looks intriguing enough to watch but not intriguing enough to seek out in theaters.
Box Office Recap (July 22nd Weekend)
- Star Trek Beyond ($59,253,211)
- The Secret Life of Pets ($29,607,210)
- Lights Out ($21,688,103)
- Ice Age: Collision Course ($21,373,004)
- Ghostbusters ($21,009,831)
- Finding Dory ($7,234,806)
- The Legend of Tarzan ($6,576,417)
- Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates ($4,385,285)
- Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party ($3,964,646)
- The Infiltrator ($3,328,382)
Lights Out was the surprise break out of the week topping $20 million while the future looks unsure for the Star Trek franchise and the Ice Age series should have finally reached extinction.
Box Office Predictions for July 29nd Weekend
- Jason Bourne ($52,700,000)
- Star Trek Beyond ($30,800,000)
- Bad Moms ($30,300,000)
- The Secret Life of Pets ($16,900,000)
- Lights Out ($11,100,000)
- Ghostbusters ($10,300,000)
- Ice Age: Collision Course ($9,400,000)
- Nerve ($8,700,000)
- Finding Dory ($4,300,000)
- The Legend of Tarzan ($2,500,000)
Café Society ($2.3m), Captain Fantastic ($2m), Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party ($2m), Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates ($1.8m), The Infiltrator ($1.8m)