Notable Openings This Weekend: Doctor Strange, Hacksaw Ridge, Trolls
I skipped Box Office Predictions last week because the thought of writing about Inferno, the third Da Vinci Code movie, put me to sleep. For what it’s worth, I would have accurately predicted its demise. In the words of Jerry Seinfeld: “That’s a shame.” Moving on from the soul crushing boredom that is The Da Vinci Code franchise, we got a big one this weekend. We also have the return of a controversial director and trolls (not of the internet variety).
There is no analysis to be done on Doctor Strange. Marvel is about as automatic as the New England Patriots. I’ll make this quick. Early reviews: “Wow, Marvel is just so innovative.” High Rotten Tomato Score. People see it in droves. Articles on Monday praising Marvel. Snarky online digs at DC. The end. We’re done here.
The movie I’d actually like to discuss is Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel “Mr. Controversy” Gibson. They haven’t even marketed this movie as “Directed by Mel Gibson.” Instead, it’s “From the Director of Braveheart.” We all know who directed this though. Even though the film is opening just under 3,000 screens, it should do fairly well. While I won’t say the stink of Gibson’s faux pas is off him, they seem to have subsided. Everyone knows this movie is coming out, but you’ve barely heard a peep. No twitter rants. No protests. Nothing. Instead, the movie has been getting great buzz and seems to be pretty damn good. You can always sell a war movie. If this film has legs at Oscar time, we’ll see if the Gibson factor comes into play. For now, it’s simply a movie that is going to open very well.
True story: Like most people my age, I had the “I want a toy troll” phase. I wanted one of the green haired ones with the crystal in his stomach. I foolishly thought those trolls granted you wishes. As soon as I got a troll, I immediately wished him for a Sega Game Gear. He didn’t grant it. What an ass. At that point, I cut off the troll’s hair and threw it in the basement somewhere. It might still be in my old house, I really have no idea. Maybe that story sucked, I don’t know. Can we agree it was more interesting than the actual movie will probably be? It’s a kid’s film – it will do fine.
HOW WILL IT ALL BREAK DOWN…
The 1993 movie, Rookie of the Year, in which a kid slips on a baseball that magically grants him a golden arm who winds up closing for the Cubs, sneaks back in as the #1 movie in America.
1. Doctor Strange – $82 Million
2. Trolls – $27 Million
3. Hacksaw Ridge – $18 Million
4. Boo! A Madea Halloween – $11 Million
5. Inferno – $8 Million
