Like last month, it’s possible, even probable, that theatrical business is not back up and running by the end of May. If I feel that we will indeed have new movies, then I’ll post an update.

Below is a wrap-up of the predictions I made several months ago, an exploration of what succeeded and what failed, and how I observe things to have gone.

December 6, 2019

The Aeronauts

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “Uncertain. While the production certain looks like something that could compete in Production Design and Costume Design categories, the wind hasn’t caught this balloon and sent it into the Oscar stratosphere, so it’s probably not getting anything in that regard.”
Oscar Results: Failure. The film ultimately didn’t make a sufficient impression to earn Oscar consideration.
Box Office Prospects: $35 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “Uncertain. This aeronautical adventure might have been a box office draw two decades ago, but today, it all sounds too odd to make much of a run at the box office.”
Box Office Results: $N/A M
Thoughts: The film saw a limited release, but not in a theater that reported box office numbers.

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While May has not been entirely vacated due to some hopes that things will be under control by then, the handful of titles still there will probably move out eventually. As such, at this time, I cannot do a May preview. That said, if it appears May will have theaters open, I will post my updated preview article at that time.

With the pandemic in its second month and most of the summer releases pushed off to fall or 2021 release dates, there isn’t much to see in the upcoming list of films. As such, this preview will be notably mediocre in terms of coverage.

To introduce you to the upcoming films, there will be two preview articles every month and this introduction every four months. The Season Preview article will focus on one of three seasons Spring Season (January through April), Blockbuster Season (May through August) and Oscar Season (September through December). In these introductory articles, I will give you the current release schedule for the specified season, which may change as the release dates get closer.

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Below is a wrap-up of the predictions I made several months ago, an exploration of what succeeded and what failed, and how I observe things to have gone.

November 1, 2019

Arctic Dogs

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “None.”
Oscar Results: None.
Box Office Prospects: $20 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “Weak. This terrible-looking animated feature didn’t even show up on the Academy’s list of Animated Feature submissions, suggesting it’s either too awful to be selected or is about to get pushed into next year. Whatever the reason, it looks like a flop in the making.”
Box Office Results: $5.8 M
Thoughts: [Minor Flop] This animated adventure looked terrible from the start. It’s no surprise it didn’t inspire audiences to give it a shot.

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Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, theater attendance is down. Several films have been moved out of their original release berths, so the below does not include films like The Lovebirds, The New Mutants (again), Peter Rabbit 2, No Time to Die, and Antlers. I’ve also revised a few figures downward from where I originally placed them due to the concerns of lower attendance. There are no new wide releases for April 3, 2020.

Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

April 10, 2020

Saint Maud

Premise: From IMDb: “Follows a pious nurse who becomes dangerously obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient.”
Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Expectations: Uncertain. The film hasn’t had enough advertising to make it a hit, but with few options, it might do better than expected.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

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Below is a wrap-up of the predictions I made several months ago, an exploration of what succeeded and what failed, and how I observe things to have gone.

October 4, 2019

Joker

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “Good. There’s talk of Joaquin Phoenix being an Oscar contender for this role. He would be the second person to be nominated should that occur and the second to win for this same role as well if he should.”
Oscar Results: Winner. The film performed way above expections earning the most nominations of the year, but only going home with two, Original Score and Actor.
Box Office Prospects: $150 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “Good. Although the film doesn’t fit into the current DC Extended Universe, it’s still a DC film, which should allow it to make a fairly large sum of money.”
Box Office Results: $335.4 (STILL IN LIMITED RELEASE) M
Thoughts: [Major Success] Proving that anything DC touches can turn to gold when it targets the very toxic demographic it attempts to coddle.

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Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

March 6, 2020

Onward

Premise: From IMDb: “Set in a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers embark on a quest to discover if there is still magic out there.”
Box Office Prospects: $250 M
Expectations: Excellent. Every original Pixar film, with a few exceptions, has done exceptionally well at the box office, so this one should as well.
Oscar Prospects: Excellent. Few Pixar films haven’t competed for the Best Animated Feature Oscar and being an original production, that will continue to be the case.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

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Below is a wrap-up of the predictions I made several months ago, an exploration of what succeeded and what failed, and how I observe things to have gone.

August 2, 2019

Hobbs & Shaw

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “None.”
Oscar Results: Still none.
Box Office Prospects: $150 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “Good. The Fast and Furious films have become reliable box office draws, regularly topping $200 million. With Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson on the outs, this new film has pulled Johnson and Jason Statham into their own buddy film and the prospects, being pulled away from the original “family,” are a bit weaker. That said, I could expect it to top this number easily if it pulls those fans to the theater.”
Box Office Results: $173.9 M
Thoughts: [Success] This franchise never ceases to pull in big bucks even if the film wasn’t quite the juggernaut the mainline films have been.

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Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

February 7, 2020

Birds of Prey

Premise: From IMDb: “After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroes Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.”
Box Office Prospects: $350 M
Expectations: Good. DC’s Extended Universe always does well even when the films aren’t good and this all-female superhero tale is sure to perform well.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. The film’s releasing a bit early for consideration, but Suicide Squad won an Oscar for Best Makeup & Hairstyling, so nothing is entirely out of the question.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

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Below is a wrap-up of the predictions I made several months ago, an exploration of what succeeded and what failed, and how I observe things to have gone.

July 3, 2019

Midsommar

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “Uncertain. Could lightning strike twice for Aster? His last film didn’t score any Oscar nominations, but critics gave it a few nominations and wins last year, so it’s entirely possible the same could happen this year. That said, sophomore success is rare and the film will have to significantly win critics over for that to happen, especially without a huge name in the cast.”
Oscar Results: Now None. While Florence Pugh has earned a few citations from critics for her performance, the film just hasn’t picked up much steam and her performance isn’t in the running for Best Actress.
Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “Uncertain. Ari Aster’s debut feature, Hereditary performed well enough for what it was, but didn’t gain true appreciation until late in the year when critics gave it several prizes and nominations. Since this is not a direct sequel to that and must rely on his name to sell it, I suspect that some horror fans wanting to see what he does will be drawn to it, but most everyone else will be turned away by its lack of horror tropes they are familiar with.”
Box Office Results: $27.4 M
Thoughts: [Minor Flop] Cerebral horror films haven’t always sold tickets and this movie seems to have underperformed even those low expectations

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Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

January 3, 2020

The Grudge

Premise: From IMDb: “A house is cursed by a vengeful ghost that dooms those who enter it with a violent death.”
Box Office Prospects: $75 M
Expectations: Uncertain. It’s been a long while since The Grudge, its remake or its remake’s sequel have been in the multiplex. Is it enough time to have built an interest in a reboot? We shall wee.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

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It’s hard to believe we’re already at our Spring preview for 2020. Looking over the January, February, March, and April film releases will be fascinating as there is a lot of potential for studio and indie success. Birds of Prey has the most potential of any film in the next four months, but titles like Dolittle, Fantasy Island, Onward, A Quiet Place 2, Godzilla vs King Kong, The New Mutants, Mulan, and Trolls: World Tour all have the potential for success, but will they succeed? Some will? Some won’t.

To introduce you to the upcoming films, there will be two preview articles every month and this introduction every four months. The Season Preview article will focus on one of three seasons Spring Season (January through April), Blockbuster Season (May through August) and Oscar Season (September through December). In these introductory articles, I will give you the current release schedule for the specified season, which may change as the release dates get closer.

Click here to continue reading this article

Below is a wrap-up of the predictions I made several months ago, an exploration of what succeeded and what failed, and how I observe things to have gone.

September 6, 2019

It Chapter Two

Oscar Prospects: What I said: “None.”
Oscar Results: Still None.
Box Office Prospects: $350 M
Box Office Expectations: What I Said: “Excellent. The first film made more than $327 million at the box office, it’s certain the final chapter will also make a good amount of money.”
Box Office Results: $211.5 M
Thoughts: [Success] It was to be expected that a sequel to a massive blockbuster would perform less impressively than its predecessor and that is certainly true of the follow up to the 2017 mega-hit It, which pulled in $327 million at the box office while its follow up pulled in more than $100 million less. It’s still a success, but not the major success the studio had hoped for.

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Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

December 6, 2019

The Aeronauts

Premise: From IMDb: “Pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) and scientist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) find themselves in an epic fight for survival while attempting to make discoveries in a hot air balloon.”
Box Office Prospects: $35 M
Expectations: Uncertain. This aeronautical adventure might have been a box office draw two decades ago, but today, it all sounds too odd to make much of a run at the box office.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. While the production certain looks like something that could compete in Production Design and Costume Design categories, the wind hasn’t caught this balloon and sent it into the Oscar stratosphere, so it’s probably not getting anything in that regard.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

A Million Little Pieces

Premise: From IMDb: “A young drug-addled writer approaching the bottom of his descent submits to two months of agonizing detox at a treatment center in Minnesota.”
Box Office Prospects: $2 M
Expectations: Weak. There has been little in the way of advertising for this film and the subject matter might be too depressing for a massive box office success, especially with no Oscar buzz to go with it.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.


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