Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

August 7, 2020

The Broken Hearts Gallery

Premise: From IMDb: “After a break up, a young woman decides to start a gallery where people can leave trinkets from past relationships.”
Box Office Prospects: $1 M
Expectations: Uncertain. If I say anything but “Uncertain,” I would be blowing smoke. Anyway, this film says it’s going wide, but I don’t believe that. This is a classic platform release, but I suspect with the pandemic, it won’t go much of anywhere.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Burnt Orange Heresy (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “Hired to steal a rare painting from one of the most enigmatic painters of all time, an ambitious art dealer becomes consumed by his own greed and insecurity as the operation spins out of control.”
Box Office Prospects: $0.5 M
Expectations: Uncertain. This indie feature isn’t likely to make much in a very limited release.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

August 14, 2020

Greenland

Premise: From IMDb: “A family struggles for survival in the face of a cataclysmic natural disaster.”
Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Expectations: Uncertain. If this film ultimately releases, it will certainly be a disaster and that’s a description not just of the film’s subject matter.
Oscar Prospects: Weak. The film’s apocalyptic subject matter might make it a contender in the sound and visual effects categories.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Personal History of David Copperfield (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “Based on the novel by Charles Dickens.”
Box Office Prospects: $0.5 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Another indie film that hopes to make money at a very empty theater circuit. The film’s been pushed back a few times already and not just because of the pandemic.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. The film has been banging around Hollywood for over a year after its release, I doubt that it can muster up much interest with the Academy, but if it did, it would only be in Production Design and Costume Design.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

August 21, 2020

Antebellum

Premise: From IMDb: “Successful author Veronica finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it’s too late.”
Box Office Prospects: $20 M
Expectations: Uncertain. If there’s any film that could buck expectations, it’s this one. Whether it ends up releasing in August or pushing back to Halloween remains to be seen.
Oscar Prospects: Unlikely. The film follows up Get Out and Us as horror films with a message on racism. The first was a huge success with the Academy. The second was ignored. I suspect the same fate as the latter will befall this film.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Mulan

Premise: From IMDb: “A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father. A live-action feature film based on Disney’s ‘Mulan.’”
Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Disney has had tremendous success with its live-action remakes of its animated properties. Even though few of those would likely top the original films if adjusted for inflation, there’s a good possibility that Mulan could be one that does. As the ’90s Disney renaissance began to fade, this 1998 release pulled in a light $120 million at the box office. The only thing that will hurt Mulan this year is the uncertainy surrounding mid-pandemic box office. Like Tenet (which has been rescheduled again), this prediction is rather generous and a lower result would not be surprising if it releases at all.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. While Disney has been at the forefront of design in their live-action adaptations, a lot of those films haven’t succeeded nearly as well as one would have hoped. This one has chances in Production Design and Costume Design, but nowhere else.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

August 28, 2020

Bill & Ted Face the Music (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “Once told they’d save the universe during a time-traveling adventure, 2 would-be rockers from San Dimas, California find themselves as middle-aged dads still trying to crank out a hit song and fulfill their destiny.”
Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Expectations: Uncertain. It’s hard to be certain how a sequel to a pair of films released three decades ago, but with the pandemic going on, it isn’t likely to be much.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The New Mutants (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “Five young mutants, just discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will, fight to escape their past sins and save themselves.”
Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Expectations: Uncertain. If it releases, it will be a surprise. After numerous reschedules and some tinkering by Disney after it was purchased from Fox, it seems unlikely that the film sees release this year even with a panel scheduled for this year’s online Comic Con.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.