September 4, 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: $2 M
Expectations: Weak. Since it’s opening online simultaneously with its limited run, it’s not likely to pull in many dollars.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Tenet

Premise: From IMDb: “An action epic revolving around international espionage, time travel, and evolution.”
Box Office Prospects: $150 M
Expectations: Uncertain. The best Christopher Nolan’s blockbusters have done is the $535 million that he pulled in for The Dark Night. Since then, his weakest blockbuster was Interstellar at $188 million. Nolan wants Tenet to be the film that brings audiences back to the theater, but so far, the prospects of a box office reinaissance are pretty dim. Even my $150 million tally is optimistic considering how hard it will be for theaters to cram in audiences to achieve such numbers.
Oscar Prospects: Excellent. Christopher Nolan’s films, even if they aren’t Best Picture contenders, make strong runs at technical awards and this one will certainly be in contention there.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

September 11, 2020

Rent-A-Pal (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “Set in 1990, a lonely bachelor named David (Brian Landis Folkins) searches for an escape from the day-to-day drudgery of caring for his aging mother (Kathleen Brady). While seeking a partner through a video dating service, he discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charming and charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him much-needed company, compassion, and friendship. But, Andy’s friendship comes at a cost, and David desperately struggles to afford the price of admission.”
Box Office Prospects: $0.5 M
Expectations: Weak. It looks rather cheesy and the box office isn’t going to reward that right now.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

September 18, 2020

The King’s Man

Premise: From IMDb: “As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them.”
Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Expectations: Uncertain. With the box office almost non-existent, will viewers want to catch this origin story in the theater or will they wait until it’s on video. My guess would be the latter. This number is very optimistic.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Nest (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “Life for an entrepreneur and his American family begin to take a twisted turn after moving into an English country manor.”
Box Office Prospects: $0.5 M
Expectations: Weak. There’s nothing about this film that makes it sound like something that could excel at a pandemic box office.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

September 25, 2020

Greenland

Premise: From IMDb: “A family struggles for survival in the face of a cataclysmic natural disaster.”
Box Office Prospects: $20 M
Expectations: Weak. Having modestly known names might help give it a small boost, but when reality is more depressing than filmic disasters, I doubt many will welcome its presence. Even then, this is still a modestly optimistic number.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Ava (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “Ava (Chastain) is a deadly assassin who works for a black ops organization, traveling the globe specializing in high profile hits. When a job goes dangerously wrong she is forced to fight for her own survival.”
Box Office Prospects: $1 M
Expectations: Weak. It might have been a film that could release wide and do $50 million, but the pandemic is going to force people who might have given it a chance to stay home and wait.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.