Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

April 6, 2018

Blockers

Premise: From IMDb: “Three fathers try to stop their daughters from having sex on Prom night.”
Box Office Prospects: $65 M
Expectations: Uncertain. R-rated comedies have had a hit-or-miss relationship with the box office in recent years and while Game Night managed to perform well not long ago, this film will face a tougher box office with a bit more competition. It could still do quite well, but maybe not as well as it should.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Chappaquiddick

Premise: From IMDb: “Depicting Ted Kennedy’s involvement in the fatal 1969 car accident that claims the life of a young campaign strategist, Mary Jo Kopechne.”
Box Office Prospects: $20 M
Expectations: Weak. There really isn’t much of a need for a biopic about this particular incident. That it’s been pushed off several times to debut on the first weekend of April suggests no one has much confidence in its chances.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

A Quiet Place

Premise: From IMDb: “A family live [sic] an isolated existence in utter silence, for fear of an unknown threat that follows and attacks at any sound.”
Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Expectations: Good. Horror often does quite well at the box office, especially if it has a gimmick to sell and this one most certainly does.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

You Were Never Really Here (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “A missing teenage girl. A brutal and tormented enforcer on a rescue mission. Corrupt power and vengeance unleash a storm of violence that may lead to his awakening.”
Box Office Prospects: $1.8 M
Expectations: Uncertain. It’s been seven years since Lynne Ramsay’s last film, a critical smash that pocketed $1.7 million at the box office, which was fairly solid for the type of movie she makes. With inflation, it’s possible her new film does better, but probably not by a lot.
Oscar Prospects: Weak. Even after Ramsay’s We Need to Talk About Kevin picked up numerous citations for star Tilda Swinton’s performance and helped launch the career of the DCEU’s Ezra Miller, the film couldn’t manage an Oscar nomination. This film is even less likely to do so.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

April 13, 2018

Borg vs. McEnroe

Premise: From IMDb: “Borg/McEnroe is a film about one of the world’s greatest icons Björn Borg and his biggest rival, the young and talented John McEnroe and their legendary duel during the 1980’s Wimbledon tournament. It’s a story about two men who changed the face of tennis and who became legends and the price they had to pay.”
Box Office Prospects: $10 M
Expectations: Weak. The last tennis biopic, starring familiar faces Emma Stone and Steve Carell, only managed $12 million, but it didn’t open wide. Can this movie buck that trend? I have serious doubts, especially on whether it opens wide or not.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Miracle Season

Premise: From IMDb: “After the tragic death of star volleyball player Caroline “Line” Found, a team of dispirited high school girls must band together under the guidance of their tough-love coach in hopes of winning the state championship.”
Box Office Prospects: $30 M
Expectations: Poor. Helen Hunt hasn’t been seen a lot in recent years and this inspiration sports drama doesn’t seem like the kind of project that soars at the box office. The most similar in theme is McFarland USA and it had Disney behind it for a $44 million tally. I expect this one to end up far lower.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Overboard

Premise: From IMDb: “A spoiled, wealthy yacht owner is thrown overboard and becomes the target of revenge from his mistreated employee. A remake of the 1987 comedy.”
Box Office Prospects: $45 M
Expectations: Weak. The Kurt Russell/Goldie Hawn original played heavily on their public personas and popularity to sell the film and it made only $26 million at the box office, roughly $60 million by today’s standards. Ana Faris is hardly a box office draw and isn’t in a real life relationship with co-star Eugenio Derbez. That said, the film will likely benefit from Derbez’s popularity among Hispanic audiences, which might bolster the film’s box office a bit, but not enough to make it a hit.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Rampage

Premise: From IMDb: “Based on the classic 1980s video game featuring apes and monsters destroying cities.”
Box Office Prospects: $110 M
Expectations: Good. The last teaming of Dwayne Johnson and director Brad Peyton (San Andreas) made over $150 million at the box office. While I don’t think this loose video game adaptation will perform up to those numbers, it should still do decent box office.
Oscar Prospects:
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero

Premise: From IMDb: “The true story of the most decorated dog in American military history — Sgt. Stubby — and the enduring bonds he forged with his brothers-in-arms in the trenches of World War I.”
Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Expectations: Uncertain. While there is an audience for cheaply-made animated films, it isn’t a big one and I can’t imagine anyone wanting to subject their kid to military propoganda. Of course, there are parents who would, so it could still make adequate money, but if even Valiant, a film about carrier pigeons in World War II couldn’t entice audiences to the theater (It made a paltry $19 million or $27 million by today’s standards), I suspect this one will fail as well.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Truth or Dare

Premise: From IMDb: “Eight college friends head to a “Haunted Rental” for Halloween. But when they replay the game that made the house infamous, they awaken an evil spirit intent on stealing their souls.”
Box Office Prospects: $30 M
Expectations: Weak. While horror is alive and well at the box office, teen-centric horror has struggled mightily in recent years, suggesting this film will probably suffer the same fate.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Rider (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “After suffering a near fatal head injury, a young cowboy undertakes a search for new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of America.”
Box Office Prospects: $0.75 M
Expectations: Poor. This Spirit Award nominee has been delayed for release and while the subject matter might appeal to Middle America, I can’t see them being able to find it at a theater near them, so an unsuccessful box office output is likely.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

April 20, 2018

I Feel Pretty

Premise: From IMDb: “A head injury causes a woman to develop an extraordinary amount of confidence and believes she’s drop-dead gorgeous.”
Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Amy Schumer’s first foray onto the big screen earned $110 million. Trainwreck, however, would have been a better title for her second box office release, Snatched. Still, that film managed to top $45 million, so it wasn’t a total loss. I suspect this film will probably perform closer to Snatched than Trainwreck.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Super Troopers 2

Premise: From IMDb: “When a border dispute arises between the U.S. and Canada, the Super Troopers are tasked with establishing a Highway Patrol station in the disputed area.”
Box Office Prospects: $25 M
Expectations: Uncertain. The original film, released 16 years ago, made $18 million at the box office. In modern numbers, that would equal to roughly $29 million. While the original has become a modestly cultish classic, I don’t expect the sequel to do that much better than the original and will likely underperform it.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Tully

Premise: From IMDb: “The film is about Marlo, a mother of three including a newborn, who is gifted a night nanny by her brother. Hesitant to the extravagance at first, Marlo comes to form a unique bond with the thoughtful, surprising and sometimes challenging young nanny named Tully.”
Box Office Prospects: $35 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Director Jason Reitman hasn’t released a film in four years thanks to a esries of box office and critical clunkers. His first three films, however, were acclaimed releases, two of them earning him Oscar nominations for Best Directing. The last of those three, Up in the Air, didn’t quite reach $100 million, but the prior effort did, surpassing that mark to the tune of $143 million. Can this film be more like those, with the added support of Juno (that $143 million film) screenwriter Diabloe Cody, or will it be more like the second Cody-Reitman collaboration that also starred Charlize Theron (Young Adult) and take a scant $18 million. A lot will depend on reviews.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. After back-to-back Best Directing nominations, it seemed like Jason Reitman would be an Oscar player indefinitely, but Young Adult was a flop, Labor Day was heavily maligned, and Men, Women & Children was a huge disappointment. That makes Reitman 50-50 with his six films. Will he redeem himself? The April release doesn’t give one hope, but stranger things have happened.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Beirut (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “A U.S. diplomat (Jon Hamm) flees Lebanon in 1972 after a tragic incident at his home. Ten years later, he is called back to war-torn Beirut by CIA operatives (Rosamund Pike) to negotiate for the life of a friend he left behind.”
Box Office Prospects: $1.5 M
Expectations: Poor. This type of drama seldom resonates with audiences, so I don’t expect much of a box office climb for it.
Oscar Prospects: Unlikely. There’s been almost no chatter about the film and while the premise might be something Oscar voters would take to, the early release will probably doom it.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

April 27, 2018

Avengers: Infinity War

Premise: From IMDb: “As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment – the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.”
Box Office Prospects: $400 M
Expectations: Uncertain. There are two competing thoughts on this film. The first is that the law of diminishing returns suggests that the third film will perform below the second. The second thought is that with so many well known characters in the film, it could boost expectations. Further, this is the culmination of all of the years of planning and plot-seeding that has taken place in the Marvel Cinematic Unvierse. It’s a universe-ending kind of event that promises a lot of drama, which could be enticing.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. The MCU has done well at the Oscars, but each film has not been the same. That said, this massive spectacle could at least play for a Visual Effects nomination if nothing else.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Bad Samaritan

Premise: From IMDb: “A pair of burglars stumble upon a woman being held captive in a home they intended to rob.”
Box Office Prospects: $3 M
Expectations: Uncertian. There are a lot of unknown factors about this film, the biggest of which is whether anyone even knows it’s coming and further if anyone actually cares enough to make it pop at the box office. With popuar Doctor Who and Jessica Jones actor David Tennant here, it could do much better than expected.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Traffik

Premise: From IMDb: “A couple off for a romantic weekend in the mountains are accosted by a bike gang. Alone in the mountains, Brea and John must defend themselves against a gang, who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.”
Box Office Prospects: $45 M
Expectations: Uncertain. It’s a familiar premise with not-so-familiar actors facing off against familiar odds. It sounds like a recipe for success, but also a recipe for failure.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Disobedience (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “A woman returns to the community that shunned her for her attraction to a childhood friend. Once back, their passions reignite as they explore the boundaries of faith and sexuality.”
Box Office Prospects: $0.5 M
Expectations: Weak. This is another film that sounds like it could be a tough sell to audiences, especially those looking for something unique. And while this is certainly unique and features prominent Hollywood actresses, it just hasn’t been much of a blip on the radar this year.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Kings (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “The life of a foster family in South Central Los Angeles, a few weeks before the city erupts in violence following the verdict of the Rodney King trial.”
Box Office Prospects: $20 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Halle Berry’s star isn’t ascendant any longer, so she doesn’t have the clout to draw to the box office. Her last starring role, Kidnap, barely made $30 million at the box office. While this drama certainly has a fitting statement for today’s sociopolitical climate, it’s issuing on a limited basis, which won’t help the film soar.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.