Notable Openings This Weekend: Split, xXx: The Return of Xander Cage
YEAH!!!! YES!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! xXx!!!! THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE, BABY!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!! ACTION MOVIES!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
https://youtu.be/AVCHHZKTBA0
So, xXx: The Return of Xander Cage opens this weekend. I’m sure everyone is going to sprint to the finish line to make excuses for it. “Oh, come on, Dan. It’s just dumb fun. Get over yourself.” Ugh. We’ll see about that. We also have the return of the Shyamalan, who’s slowly getting his mojo back. What will finish #1? Let’s dive in! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
It’s been twelve years since xXx graced our presence with State of the Union (Oh, for the love of Moses). Why do I get the urge to work out at Gold’s Gym when I watch this trailer? I don’t know, but the studio is banking on the continued Vin Diesel resurgence to sell this bad boy. Other than Fast & Furious, this was Vin’s other notable franchise (I guess there’s Riddick too). They’re clearly hoping for a Junior Varsity Fast & Furious level of success here. With a production budget of $85 Million (via Box Office Mojo), this movie is going to border line bomb. That’s way too high for xXx. I get the January release, but do people seriously care about this one? We’ll find out. I pray this is the last time we’ll ever have to talk about Xander Cage.
It’s been a long and winding road for M. Night Shyamalan. I would say Shyamalan was on 4th and 10 with no time outs with his last film (The Visit). If that didn’t hit, the Shyamalan would probably be downgraded to television. By all accounts, The Vist was a return to form. Split seems to be another winner for the once Academy Award nominated director, with James McAvoy in particular getting big praise. This movie has been marketed well, and the premise is intriguing enough. This should open very well. I’m happy for M. Night Shyamalan’s Ben Affleck like career resurgence. NOW DON’T SCREW IT UP!
HOW WILL IT ALL BREAK DOWN…
Split reigns supreme, while the “long-awaited” return of Xander Cage falls below the scorching Hidden Figures. La La Land also continues its dominance. Side note: The Founder also opens in wide release, but only just above 1,100 theaters. It should do fine.
1. Split – $22 Million
2. Hidden Figures – $18 Million
3. xXx: The Return of Xander Cage – $16 Million
4. La La Land – $14 Million
5. Sing – $8.5 Million
