Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

September 7, 2018

The Nun

Premise: From IMDb: “When a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together they uncover the order’s unholy secret. Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force in the form of the same demonic nun that first terrorized audiences in ‘The Conjuring 2,’ as the abbey becomes a horrific battleground between the living and the damned.”
Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Expectations: Decent. While the Conjuring series has been fairly successful in making money, the prequels tend to perform more weakly, thus a fairly low expected tally for this film.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Peppermint

Premise: From IMDb: “Peppermint is a revenge story centering on a young mother who finds herself with nothing to lose, and is now going to take from her rivals the very life they stole from her.”
Box Office Prospects: $45 M
Expectations: Uncertain. It looks a lot like the Liam Neeson action films of late while having a faint Jodie Foster-in-The Brave One vibe. That combination suggests this film doesn’t have a lot of legs.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

September 14, 2018

The Predator

Premise: From IMDb: “From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home. Now, the universe’s most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. When a young boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race.”
Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Expectations: Weak. None of the films featuring The Predator has been a box office hit, not even their outing with the far more popular villains of the Alien universe. Sure, this reboot could prove surprisingly popular. It could also easily be a flop.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

A Simple Favor

Premise: From IMDb: “A SIMPLE FAVOR, directed by Paul Feig, centers around Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), a mommy vlogger who seeks to uncover the truth behind her best friend Emily’s (Blake Lively) sudden disappearance from their small town. Stephanie is joined by Emily’s husband Sean (Henry Golding) in this stylish thriller filled with twists and betrayals, secrets and revelations, love and loyalty, murder and revenge.”
Box Office Prospects: $35 M
Expectations: Uncertain. While the concept is somewht interesting, September’s typical box office weakness will usually mean a film like this fails to do incredibly well.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Unbroken: Path to Redemption

Premise: From IMDb: “When the war ended, his battle began. Based on Laura Hillenbrand’s bestselling book, UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION begins where Unbroken ends, sharing the next amazing chapter of Olympian and World War II hero Louis Zamperini’s powerful true story of forgiveness, redemption, and amazing grace.”
Box Office Prospects: $25 M
Expectations: Poor. The first film, directed by Angelina Jolie was a hit at the box office; however, Jolie and the rest of the cast have departed as Pure Flix takes over the series to explore the evangelical post-war life of the main character. That may appeal to a specific demographic, but that’s much narrower group of people than fans of the original.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

White Boy Rick

Premise: From IMDb: “The story of teenager Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the FBI during the 1980s and was ultimately arrested for drug-trafficking and sentenced to life in prison.”
Box Office Prospects: $30 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Matthew McConaughey isn’t exactly a box office draw and this film, while it might be a strong acting vehicle for him, is unlikely to have a broad appeal.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Children Act (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “As her marriage to Jack (Stanley Tucci) flounders, eminent High Court judge Fiona Maye (Emma Thompson) has a life-changing decision to make at work – should she force a teenage boy, Adam (Fionn Whitehead), to have the blood transfusion that will save his life? Her unorthodox visit to his hospital bedside has a profound impact on them both, stirring strong new emotions in the boy and long-buried feelings in her.”
Box Office Prospects: $5 M
Expectations: Weak. Unless Emma Thompson turns into a major Oscar player for this role, a fact that seems in dispute considering the film’s September release, it could be a much bigger success at the box office than I expect.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. There may a push for Emma Thompson for a Best Actress nomination, but I’m not so sure it’s much of a contender.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

September 21, 2018

Fahrenheit 11/9

Premise: From IMDb: “Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 11/9″ is a provocative and comedic look at the times in which we live. It will explore the two most important questions of the Trump Era: How the f**k did we get here, and how the f**k do we get out?”
Box Office Prospects: $25 M
Expectations: Weak. The only documentary every to top $100 million at the box office was Michael Moore’s indictment of George W. Bush’s reasons for going to war in Iraq. Making just over $40 million more than the next most popular documentary, I doubt lightning will strike twice. This should perform about on par with Moore’s other popular, but far less visible documentaries like Bowling for Columbine and Sicko.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. While it would be a minor contender, it’s unlikely to make the cut.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The House with a Clock In Its Walls

Premise: From IMDb: “A young orphan named Lewis Barnavelt aids his magical uncle in locating a clock with the power to bring about the end of the world.”
Box Office Prospects: $100 M
Expectations: Good. There aren’t many options for families out there and this will be the first in a very long time. Add in Cate Blanchett and Jack Black, plus a popular children’s book, and you have a film that could be an even bigger hit than I expect.
Oscar Prospects: Weak. It could be a Best Visual Effects contender, but there are far stronger contenders out there already.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Life Itself

Premise: From IMDb: “The lives of people from New York to Spain intersect over the course of different generations.”
Box Office Prospects: $35 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Starring actors that aren’t exactly box office draws by themselves, this film looks like a fairly rote ensemble drama that doesn’t play incredibly well with modern audiences.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

September 28, 2018

Hell Fest

Premise: From IMDb: “A masked serial killer turns a horror themed amusement park into his own personal playground, terrorizing a group of friends while the rest of the patrons believe that it is all part of the show.”
Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Expectations: Uncertain. A unique concept could pull horror fans to the theater when they have failed to turn up for most projects in the last few years.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Little Women

Premise: From IMDb: “A modern retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel, we follow the lives of four sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March – detailing their passage from childhood to womanhood. Despite harsh times, they cling to optimism, and as they mature, they face blossoming ambitions and relationships, as well as tragedy, while maintaining their unbreakable bond as sisters.”
Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Expectations: Weak. Without a huge star in the cast, this modern version of Little Women doesn’t have a lot of good prospects.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Night School

Premise: From IMDb: “A group of troublemakers are forced to attend night school in hope that they’ll pass the GED exam to finish high school.”
Box Office Prospects: $90 M
Expectations: Good. With Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish on board, this could be a fairly big comedy player. I’m underplaying its potential as Hart’s films have seldom been runaway successes.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Smallfoot

Premise: From IMDb: “A Yeti is convinced that the elusive creatures known as “humans” really do exist.”
Box Office Prospects: $110 M
Expectations: Good. Because there have been so few animated films to appeal to younger audiences this year, each one has the potential for unwarranted success. This looks like one of those potential winners.
Oscar Prospects: Weak. There are few Best Animated Feature contenders this year, but this film doesn’t seem like the kind they would actively recognize.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.