With theaters shut down, this article will go onto hiatus until everything normalizes.
Category: Looking at the Weekend
Looking at the Weekend: Mar. 20-22, 2020
With all of the wide releases being pushed out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s nothing to say what will be on top of the charts this week, but we know it won’t be a new wide release.
Our Highest Rated Films: The Infiltrators
Our Best Awards Ratings: None
OTHER LIMITED RELEASES
Bull (Limited)
Chichinette: The Accidental Spy (Limited)
Children of the Sea (Limited)
The Climb (Limited)
The Conversation (Limited)
Deerskin (Limited)
Dino Dana: The Movie (Limited)
A Dog Called Money (Limited)
DOSED (Limited)
Draupadi Unleashed (Limited)
The Grizzlies (Limited)
Hooking Up (Limited)
Nina Wu (Limited)
Phoenix, Oregon (Limited)
To Your Last Death (Limited)
The Wolf House (Limited)
Looking at the Weekend: Mar. 13-15, 2020
Four new films go up against the second weekend of Pixar’s Onward and it’s likely that one of them should be able to topple a film that had a rather unimpressive opening for a Pixar feature. Bloodshot is a sci-fi actioner starring Vin Diesel, which has some solid potential. The Hunt was held back from 2019 release due to a mass shooting and has only now been given the go ahead and could be an interesting test case of negative buzz bolstering a film’s performance. I Still Believe is the latest Christian-themed film to try and buck the recent pattern of poor performances. My Spy was also delayed from 2019, but not for a reason that makes sense, but because it probably wasn’t strong enough to open its previous window. Ultimately, the first two films on this list have the best potential of victory with Diesel’s film having the better shot due to his sizable box office bona fides. (Editor’s Note: This article’s deadline was prior to the announcement that My Spy would be pushed back again. I’ve removed that entry below, but left the references above.)
Our Highest Rated Films: Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Our Best Awards Ratings: No consensus
OTHER LIMITED RELEASES
Cruel Peter (Limited)
The Dog Doc (Limited)
Human Nature (Limited)
A Kid From Coney Island (Limited)
Leona (Limited)
Lost Girls (Limited)
M.O.M. (Mothers of Monsters) (Limited)
Miss Fisher & The Crypt Of Tears (Limited)
My Senior Year (Limited)
The Postcard Killings (Limited)
Slay the Dragon (Limited)
Tuscaloosa (Limited)
Looking at the Weekend: Mar. 6-8, 2020
There will be nothing stopping the latest Pixar effort from topping this week’s box office chart and the year’s biggest opening to date is likely.
Our Highest Rated Films: Onward, Sorry We Missed You
Our Best Awards Ratings: Onward (Oscars)
OTHER LIMITED RELEASES
Baaghi 3 (Limited)
Bacurau (Limited)
The Booksellers (Limited)
The Burnt Orange Heresy (Limited)
The Dare (Limited)
Dark Star (Limited)
Dwitiyo Purush (Limited)
Go Back to China (Limited)
Heimat is a Space in Time (Limited)
King’s Gambit (Limited)
Like Harvey Like Son (Limited)
Made in Hong Kong (Limited)
Powerbomb (Limited)
The Wild Goose Lake (Limited)
Looking at the Weekend: Feb. 28-Mar. 1, 2020
The Invisible Man is the most likely winner of this final weekend of February with Emma expanding, but not doing much otherwise. The second weekends of Sonic the Hedgehog and Call of the Wild won’t likely amount to much.
Our Highest Rated Films: The Invisible Man, Straight Up
Our Best Awards Ratings: None
OTHER LIMITED RELEASES
10 Things We Should Do Before We Break Up (Limited)
Blood On Her Name (Limited)
Disappearance at Clifton Hill (Limited)
Greed (Limited)
Ik Sandhu Hunda Si (Limited)
Lost in America (Limited)
Ride (Limited)
Saint Frances (Limited)
Tread (Limited)
A White, White Day (Limited)
Looking at the Weekend: Feb. 21-23, 2020
A new number one is likely with this week’s debut of Call of the Wild starring Harrison Ford. It’s an adaptation of a well known novel by Jack London and the previews definitely sell it as a one-of-a-kind adventure between a man and his dog. Unlike this week’s other debut, Brahms: The Boy II, Call of the Wild is an original with a beloved star tackling a young audience with families going in tow. That should be enough for it to pull off a number one finish.
Our Highest Rated Films: Emma
Our Best Awards Ratings: Emma (Oscars)
OTHER LIMITED RELEASES
Acquitted by Faith (Limited)
Come and See (Limited)
Conundrum: Secrets Among Friends (Limited)
Corpus Christi (Limited)
Goldie (Limited)
Jinpa (Limited)
Just Don’t Think I’ll Scream (Limited)
Just One More Kiss (Limited)
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band (Limited)
Power of the Air (Limited)
Premature (Limited)
Ride the Wave (Limited)
Seberg (Limited)
Shooter (Limited)
True Fiction (Limited)
Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations (Limited)
Vitalina Varela (Limited)
Young Ahmed (Limited)
Looking at the Weekend: Feb. 14, 2020
Four films will attempt to win the weekend in the wake of the minor debut that was Birds of Prey. Fantasy Island and Sonic the Hedgehog have the most potential, though being Valentine’s weekend, The Photograph could pull in enough on Friday to top the others. Maybe, but doubtful. Sonic probably has a better shot because it will appeal to kids, but the film looks like a dud, which may be reflected in a decent Friday and a plummeting Saturday and Sunday. Fantasy Island promises to have a consistent weekend for a horror film with a strong open and a quick fade away.
Our Highest Rated Films: Ordinary Love
Our Best Awards Ratings: Ordinary Love (Oscars)
OTHER LIMITED RELEASES
What About Love (Supposedly Wide)
After Parkland (Limited)
After Midnight (Limited)
Brown Paper Bag (Limited)
Camp Cold Brook (Limited)
Come As You Are (Limited)
The Cordillera of Dreams (Limited)
Enter the Fat Dragon (Limited)
First Lady (Limited)
I Wish I Knew (Limited)
Impossible Monsters (Limited)
The Innocent (Limited)
Olympic Dreams (Limited)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Limited)
Spy Intervention (Limited)
Sufna (Limited)
Those Who Remained (Limited)
The Times of Bill Cunningham (Limited)
Underneath the Same Moon (Limited)
Varane Avashyamund (Limited)
VFW (Limited)
World Famous Lover (Limited)
You Go to My Head (Limited)
Looking at the Weekend: Feb. 7-9, 2020
The latest film in the DC Extended Universe should easily top the week’s box office.
Our Highest Rated Films: Birds of Prey
Our Best Awards Ratings: None
OTHER LIMITED RELEASES
And Then We Danced
Cane River
Legend of Deification
Malang
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman
The Son of a Prominent Journalist
Zakhmi
Looking at the Weekend: Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2020
The holdovers are doing well and the new releases are doing poorly so far this year, which means that this week’s new releases aren’t likely to be box office toppers, though Gretel and Hansel has a better chance at it than does The Rhythm Section.
Our Highest Rated Films: The 2020 Oscar-Nominated Shorts
Our Best Awards Ratings: The 2020 Oscar-Nominated Shorts
OTHER LIMITED RELEASES
Beanpole (Limited)
Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words (Limited)
Gul Makai (Limited)
Incitement (Limited)
José (Limited)
Strange Shadows in an Empty Room (Limited)
Taylor Swift: Miss Americana (Limited)
The Traitor (Limited)
The Wonderland (Limited)
Looking at the Weekend: Jan. 24-26, 2020
With two wide releases this weekend, we finally have some competition. After the superb debut of Bad Boys for Life last weekend, The Gentlemen and The Turning will battle it out for number with the former having better options. The Gentlemen has a lot of well known actors and a popular director to give it a boost at the box office. The latter has no one famous and will have to rely on the premise to pull in audiences. Gentlemen should win easily.
Our Highest Rated Films: The Gentlemen
Our Best Awards Ratings: no consensus
OTHER LIMITED RELEASES
Alice and the Mayor
Assassin 33 A.D.
Detective Chinatown 3
Disco Raja
Elsewhere
Get Gone
Jinde Meriye
Los Leones
My Name Is Myeisha
Panga
The Rescue
Street Dancer
Zombi Child
Looking at the Weekend: Jan. 17-19, 2020
Disney has a stranglehold on the box office throughout the year and every film it releases will dominate for at least a week. The same will be true of Dolittle whose only competition is the second week in wide release for 1917, meaning it’s going to dominate and probably for a two or three weeks after that.
Our Highest Rated Films: Weathering with You
Our Best Awards Ratings: Weathering with You (Oscars*) *NOTE: Submissions were due prior to the Oscar nominations.
OTHER LIMITED RELEASES
D-Love
Disturbing the Peace
Extracurricular
Speed of Life
The Wave
Looking at the Weekend: Jan. 10-12, 2020
With three new wide releases, the question is whether Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker can hold on to the top spot for a fourth week or if Like a Boss, Underwater, The Informer (which looks to have been pulled from the release calendar yet again), or one of the expanding releases (1917 or Just Mercy) can swing into the top spot.
Among the new wide releases, I’d say Like a Boss will probably be the highest grossing, though it’s possible 1917. hops into the top spot in the end.
Our Highest Rated Films: The Informer, Inherit the Viper
Our Best Awards Ratings: None
OTHER LIMITED RELEASES
1917 (Expanding)
Just Mercy (Expanding)
2050 (Limited)
Afterward (Limited)
Chhapaak (Limited)
The Dawn (Limited)
Diving Deep: The Life and Times of Mike deGruy (Limited)
Earth (Limited)
Les Misérables (Limited)
VHYes (Limited)
Looking at the Weekend: Jan. 3-5, 2020
There aren’t any other new wide release options, so the number one spot will go to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in its third week. How the latest version of The Grudge performs will depend on a lot of factors, but performing well isn’t likely.
Our Highest Rated Films: The Grudge (the only thing out, really)
Our Best Awards Ratings: None
OTHER LIMITED RELEASES
City of Joel
The Dawn
Inmate Zero
Looking at the Weekend: Dec. 25-29, 2019
With Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker dominating the box office for a second weekend, the only new wide release that has any chance of topping all other newcomers is Little Women. It seems the perfect family film for Christmas day, though it might be front-loaded mid-week rather than over the weekend.
Our Highest Rated Films: 1917, Little Women
Our Best Awards Ratings: 1917, Little Women, Just Mercy, Clemency, Spies in Disguise
OTHER LIMITED RELEASES
What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael (Limited)
The White Sheik (Limited)
Les Misérables (Oscar Qualifying Run)
Apparition (Limited)
M&M: The Mall The Merrier (Limited)
Looking at the Weekend: Dec. 20-22, 2019
The second major event of the year, the second historical culmination of a multi-year franchise. Capping Disney’s stranglehold on the U.S. box office this year, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker enters the fray as 2019 comes to a close and will surely send the year off with a bang.
Our Highest Rated Films: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Our Best Awards Ratings: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Cats
OTHER LIMITED RELEASES
Dabangg 3
Don’t Be a D*ck About It
Le Bonheur
Lions Love
Mur Murs
La Pointe-Courte (Limited)