Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

January 6, 2017

Amityville: The Awakening

Premise: From IMDb: “A single mother moves her three children into a haunted house, unaware of its bloody history.”
Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Expectations: Uncertain. It’s been 12 years since the last attempt to making an Amityville franchise and that film, starring Ryan Reynolds, made an inflation-adjusted $87 million. That’s decent, but this film hasn’t gotten much advertising done and stars no one that would draw audiences to the theater.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Underworld: Blood Wars

Premise: From IMDb: “Vampire death dealer, Selene (Kate Beckinsale) fights to end the eternal war between the Lycan clan and the Vampire faction that betrayed her. ”
Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Expectations: Decent. That the franchise keeps making solid bank, it should continue that trend. However, this is the longest wait time of the series at five years, so it’s possible it underperforms.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

I, Daniel Blake (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “A middle aged carpenter who requires state welfare after injuring himself, is joined by a single mother in a similar scenario. ”
Box Office Prospects: $1 M
Expectations: Weak. Ken Loach isn’t a box office magnet, even at the specialty box office. Since this film hasn’t gotten any major awards traction, I anticipate it performing poorly at the box office.
Oscar Prospects: Poor. While the film has received excellent notices from critics, it doesn’t seem to have gotten a qualifying Oscar run and, even if it does before the end of the year, it’s unlikely to figure into any awards race.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

January 13, 2017

The Bye Bye Man

Premise: From IMDb: “Three friends stumble upon the horrific origins of the Bye Bye Man, a mysterious figure they discover is the root cause of the evil behind man’s most unspeakable acts. ”
Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Expectations: Uncertain. These teen-targeted horror films just don’t have legs at the box office. The concept here is so similar to the Candyman films that it will be lucky to even approach the $53 million inflation-adjusted that film received.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Monster Trucks

Premise: From IMDb: “Looking for any way to get away from the life and town he was born into, Tripp (Lucas Till), a high school senior, builds a Monster Truck from bits and pieces of scrapped cars. After an accident at a nearby oil-drilling site displaces a strange and subterranean creature with a taste and a talent for speed, Tripp may have just found the key to getting out of town and a most unlikely friend.”
Box Office Prospects: $45 M
Expectations: Weak. I’m sure there’s a segment of the population that will want to see this, but it may not be a very large potion.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Sleepless

Premise: From IMDb: “A cop with a connection to the criminal underworld scours a nightclub in search of his kidnapped son.”
Box Office Prospects: $65 M
Expectations: Good. Without much competition and a notable actor getting top billing, it may be able to pull off a solid victory at the box office and might even outperform expectations.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Comedian (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “A look at the life of an aging insult comic.”
Box Office Prospects: $5 M
Expectations: Weak. Robert De Niro is well liked, but releasing at the Art House isn’t the best bet for a film that could score at the wide box office with the right marketing campaign.
Oscar Prospects: Weak. There was some meager chatter for Robert De Niro as Best Actor, but it looksl like that buzz has faded.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

January 20, 2017

The Founder

Premise: From IMDb: “The story of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc.”
Box Office Prospects: $30 M
Expectations: Uncertain. This film doesn’t sound like the kind of movie that rakes in beaucoup bucks at the box office, but with wide familiarity with McDonald’s, it could be a surprise hit.
Oscar Prospects: Weak. A postponed release date and a lack of screenings have almost certainly doomed The Founder, a film that could have brought Michael Keaton his long awaited Oscar. Right now, it seems like the film will be all but forgotten.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Resurrection of Gavin Stone

Premise: From IMDb: “A washed-up former child star, forced to do community service at a local megachurch, pretends to be a Christian to land the part of Jesus in their annual Passion Play, only to discover that the most important role of his life is far from Hollywood.”
Box Office Prospects: $30 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Christian-themed films haven’t been doing well at the box office recently. Whether it’s a recognition of the cheap quality of them or that Christians are tired of being pandered to isn’t certain.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: No preview available.

Split

Premise: From IMDb: “Kevin, a man with at least 23 different personalities, is compelled to abduct three teenage girls. As they are held captive, a final personality – “The Beast” – begins to materialize.”
Box Office Prospects: $70 M
Expectations: Decent. M. Night Shyamalan hasn’t had a big hit in more than a decade. While his films still garner some level of support, this one should outperform most of his recent output.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

xXx: Return of Xander Cage

Premise: From IMDb: “Xander Cage is left for dead after an incident, though he secretly returns to action for a new, tough assignment with his handler Augustus Gibbons.”
Box Office Prospects: $150 M
Expectations: Excellent. It’s been 14 years since Vin Diesel rose to prominence thanks to XXX. He’s much better known now and with the cult popularity of this film, it should be quite successful.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Red Turtle (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “The dialogue-less film follows the major life stages of a castaway on a deserted tropical island populated by turtles, crabs and birds.”
Box Office Prospects: $10 M
Expectations: Weak. Unless your animated film is put out by one of the big outlets, your box office chances are meager at best. Even the legendary Hayao Miyazaki barely made anything at the box office. This film, without an Oscar win, isn’t likely to do that well.
Oscar Prospects: Good. It’s currently one of the top competitors for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. While I doubt it can win, a nomination may not be out of the question.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

January 27, 2017

Bastards

Premise: From IMDb: “Upon learning that their mother has been lying to them for years about their allegedly deceased father, two fraternal twin brothers hit the road in order to find him.”
Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Expectations: Uncertain. The dearth of comedies early in the year may help this film find an audience.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: No preview available.

A Dog’s Purpose

Premise: From IMDb: “A dog looks to discover his purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes and owners.”
Box Office Prospects: $75 M
Expectations: Good. The trailer was well received and the subject matter makes it perfect to appeal to a very broad demographic. Marley & Me made over $140 million in 2008, so it’s entirely possible this film could approach that.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Gold

Premise: From IMDb: “An unlikely pair venture to the Indonesian jungle in search of gold.”
Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Contrary to popular belief, Matthew McConaughey is not a box office draw. All of his blockbusters have been hits for entirely other reasons. Most the films that have succeeded on his name have made less than $60 million. This film isn’t likely to improve on those numbers.
Oscar Prospects: Partial. While the film is being pushed for Oscar consideration, the only thing that’s likely to get a nomination is the original song from the film.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

Premise: From IMDb: “Picking up immediately after the events in Resident Evil: Retribution, humanity is on its last legs in Washington D.C. As the only survivor of what was meant to be humanity’s final stand against the undead hordes, Alice must return to where the nightmare began – Raccoon City, where the Umbrella Corporation is gathering its forces for a final strike against the only remaining survivors of the apocalypse. In a race against time Alice will join forces with old friends, and an unlikely ally, in an action packed battle with undead hordes and new mutant monsters. Between regaining her superhuman abilities at Wesker’s hand and Umbrella’s impending attack, this will be Alice’s most difficult adventure as she fights to save humanity, which is on the brink of oblivion.”
Box Office Prospects: $55 M
Expectations: Decent. All of the films in this franchise have been decent box office performers. None of made less than $40 million, but none of them have topped $61. That gives us a suitable middle ground for this supposedly final chapter to perform. It could outperform this simply because it’s supposed to be the last film.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Salesman (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “Forushande (The Salesman) is the story of a couple whose relationship begins to turn sour during their performance of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. ”
Box Office Prospects: $5 M
Expectations: Weak. Even Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar-winning film A Separation managed only to top just over $7 million. Since this film isn’t likely to have as much prestige or bounce from the Oscars, $5 million is probably an optimistic number.
Oscar Prospects: Decent. Although the film isn’t going to play like A Separation did, this film is on the cusp of a Best Foreign Language Film nomination. Beyond that, it likely has no prospects
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.