Suicide Squad is now officially the biggest movie to ever hit the cinema in August and basically a lock to own the box office for a 2nd consecutive week. This week’s battle will be for the #2 spot where Pete’s Dragon should take the title unless Sausage Party rises to the occasion with a bigger than expected opening. In addition to these two movies, Florence Foster Jenkins and 4 other movies hit theaters. Here are the recommendations for the week of August 12th:
Pete’s Dragon
Theater Count: 3,702
Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Karl Urban, Wes Bentley
Buzz:
The Disney musical from the ’70s that was a hybrid of live action and animation is now a full-fledged big budget family film with a similar story but big effects and an even bigger dragon rule this picture. With a $65 million budget and expected first week earnings around $30-35 million, Pete’s Dragon should eventually reach $100 million+ during its box office run. Kubo and the Two Strings is the only remaining family film of the summer.
See the Trailer:
MHT Hot Take:
See it! While the original Pete’s Dragon was panned by critics and more of a cult classic than a full-fledged Disney hit, the dramatic take on the story might bode well for the film’s legacy. It’s already winning points for being 26 minutes shorter than the original which was an overly long 128 minutes.
Sausage Party
Theater Count: 3,103
Starring: Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Salma Hayek, Edward Norton, Michael Cera, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Paul Rudd, Craig Robinson, Bill Hader
Buzz:
For a while, Sausage Party had a perfect Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, it is a more realistic 84% but this R-rated animated flick has enough interest to top $30 million in its first week. It probably will fall short of that mark but it will be interesting to see how it fares. It made news early on by having an uncut version of its trailer accidentally shown before a showing of Finding Dory. (OOPS!) Now, it takes on Disney in a different way as it goes head to head with Pete’s Dragon. It’ll likely lose that battle but it should fare well long term as it managed a sleek $30 million budget.
See the Trailer:
MHT Hot Take:
See it! MHT is a big fan of Seth Rogen comedies and this one brings back (the voices of) most of the cast of This Is The End which is one of the most underrated comedies of the last 10 years.
Florence Foster Jenkins
Theater Count: 1,528
Starring: Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Rebecca Ferguson
Buzz:
Based on a true story, Florence Foster Jenkins has the possibility of carving out a decent run at the box office as its target audience hasn’t had much to see lately. This really isn’t the season for older audiences but the reviews for the movie are solid so far and Meryl Streep is usually excellent. The smaller theater count should keep the movie with modest box office results but $8 million-plus in its first week isn’t out of the question. Streep’s last starring role was Ricki and the Flash which opened at $6.7 million but Florence Foster Jenkins has been receiving a warmer reception and is more wholesome than her last turn in a starring role which usually bodes well for box office results.
See the Trailer:
MHT Hot Take:
Skip it! Once it hits the home market, the tune might change but this one seems a little too off key to take in at the cinema.
Anthropoid
Theater Count: 452
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Toby Jones, Jamie Dornan
Buzz:
Based on the extraordinary true story of “Operation Anthropoid,” this movie is more so a war movie than about the atrocities of the Holocaust but it’s essentially a Holocaust movie. Before the end of the year, there will be at least two other films tied to the Holocaust and it wouldn’t be surprising if there were more. Originally projected for roughy 300 theaters, Anthropoid officially comes in at 452 which is a healthy increase from original plans.
See the Trailer:
Movie Hot Take:
Skip it! While it is still a little early, the critical reviews on Anthropoid are mixed. At a 55% Tomatometer, this one can wait until home video.
Hell or High Water
Theater Count: 32
Starring: Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges
Buzz:
Hell or High Water is currently 62-for-62 on Rotten Tomatoes and has a 100% Tomatometer. The film boasts a solid cast and is the second film from screenwriter Taylor Sheridan (Sicario was the first). This Western heist thriller looks to have expansion in its future in the coming weeks.
See the Trailer:
Movie Hot Take:
See it! It’s from the writer of Sicario and the trio of actors who headline the film are usually worth the price of admission on their own. Plus, that perfect Tomatometer score is hard to ignore.
Ghost Team
Theater Count: 10
Starring: Jon Heder, Justin Long, Amy Sedaris, David Krumholtz
Buzz:
This vulture seems to be a shameless attempt to capitalize on the reboot of Ghostbusters. The only problem is there wasn’t that much excitement around the reboot. The title isn’t even that original. There was a similar movie called Ghost Team One in 2013.
See the Trailer:
Movie Hot Take:
Skip it! It was already available on Google Play if you cared that much to see it.
Disorder
Theater Count: 2
Starring: Matthias Schoenaerts, Diane Kruger
Buzz:
Early reviews for this IFC release aren’t bad but since it’s from IFC, you can see it on demand without heading to theaters.
See the Trailer:
Movie Hot Take:
Skip it! It looks to be worth watching but not worth a trip to the theater.
Box Office Recap (August 5th Weekend)
- Suicide Squad ($133,682,248)
- Jason Bourne ($22,405,125)
- Bad Moms ($14,004,006)
- The Secret Life of Pets ($11,500,590)
- Star Trek Beyond ($10,036,030)
- Nine Lives ($6,249,915)
- Lights Out ($6,006,454)
- Nerve ($4,861,528)
- Ghostbusters ($4,676,192)
- Ice Age: Collision Course ($4,325,094)
Suicide Squad dominated the box office with the biggest August opening in box office history. It did nearly $50 million more than the rest of the top 10 combined.
Box Office Predictions for August 12th Weekend
- Suicide Squad ($48,800,000)
- Pete’s Dragon ($30,700,000)
- Sausage Party ($30,500,000)
- Jason Bourne ($9,400,000)
- Bad Moms ($8,000,000)
- The Secret Life of Pets ($7,000,000)
- Florence Foster Jenkins ($6,600,000)
- Star Trek Beyond ($5,300,000)
- Lights Out ($2,700,000)
- Nine Lives ($2,300,000)
Nerve ($2.25m), Ghostbusters ($1.8m), Ice Age: Collision Course ($1.6m), Finding Dory ($850k), Café Society ($800k)
Suicide Squad still rules but things get closer at the top. It’s a toss up for #2 as Pete’s Dragon and Sausage Party appear poised to break $30 million but neither is bust-proof.