Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

February 2, 2018

Winchester

Premise: From IMDb: “Eccentric firearm heiress believes she is haunted by the souls of people killed by the Winchester repeating rifle.”
Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Expectations: Uncertain. The haunted house genre hasn’t been nearly as popular as it should be, so this one probably won’t perform that well.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

A Fantastic Woman (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “Marina, a waitress who moonlights as a nightclub singer, is bowled over by the death of her older boyfriend.”
Box Office Prospects: $0.5 M
Expectations: Weak. As much as I would like to believe this will be a smash hit, I doubt the specialty box office will give it much attention as it doesn’t seem to care much about foreign features.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. If it’s an Oscar nominee, it could be a player, otherwise, obviously, it’s not.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

February 9, 2018

The 15:17 to Paris

Premise: From IMDb: “American soldiers discover a terrorist plot on a Paris-bound train.”
Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Expectations: Uncertain. As popular as he can be at the box office, this film features non-professional actors in the lead roles, which could be enough of a gimmick to draw military fans to the box office, but the premise doesn’t seem that exciting from early trailers.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Fifty Shades Freed

Premise: From IMDb: “The third installment of the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ trilogy.”
Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Expectations: Weak. After a drop of more than $50 million from the first film to the second, I suspect the third may suffer a similar, but perhaps smaller drop.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Peter Rabbit

Premise: From IMDb: “Feature adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s classic tale of a rebellious rabbit trying to sneak into a farmer’s vegetable garden.”
Box Office Prospects: $100 M
Expectations: Decent. This film’s subject matter and status as one of few family-targeted films in the early year will likely help it perform well.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. If it qualifies in Best Animated Feature, which it could, and if critics support it, which they might, it could be an Oscar contender.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

February 16, 2018

Black Panther

Premise: From IMDb: “T’Challa, the new ruler of the advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must defend his land from being torn apart by enemies from outside and inside the country.”
Box Office Prospects: $200 M
Expectations: Excellent. Although origin films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have a checkered past, early anticipation for this film could turn it into a larger hit than expected.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a checkered past at the Oscars, but this film could be a contender in categories like Production Design, Costume Design, and the other tech categories.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Early Man

Premise: From IMDb: “Set at the dawn of time, when prehistoric creatures and woolly mammoths roamed the earth, Early Man tells the story of Dug, along with sidekick Hognob as they unite his tribe against a mighty enemy Lord Nooth and his Bronze Age City to save their home.”
Box Office Prospects: $30 M
Expectations: Weak. Not since Flushed Away has Aardman had any strength at the box office, and even then only Chicken Run ever topped $70 million. I doubt the subject matter will likely lead to major box office returns.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. Aardman used to be an Oscar player, but hasn’t been in some time.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Samson

Premise: From IMDb: “After losing the love of his life to a cruel Philistine prince, a young Hebrew with Supernatural strength defends his people, sacrificing everything to avenge his love, his people, and his God.”
Box Office Prospects: $25 M
Expectations: Weak. Pure Flix has never had a box office hit, but this type of movie is bigger and bolder and could be their biggest hit yet. It could also be a huge flop.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Loveless (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “A couple going through a divorce must team up to find their son who has disappeared during one of their bitter arguments.”
Box Office Prospects: $0.5 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Like all other foreign features, even with Oscar nominations, the box office isn’t kind.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. If it’s an Oscar nominee, it could be a player, otherwise, obviously, it’s not.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

February 23, 2018

Annihilation

Premise: From IMDb: “A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition where the laws of nature don’t apply.”
Box Office Prospects: $100 M
Expectations: Good. Sci-fi is a hot property at the box office in recent years and this film has a lot of visual flair. It also faces little competition and is likely to be a solid performer at the box office.
Oscar Prospects: Good. Alex Garland’s Ex Machina was a surprise winner of the Best Visual Effects Oscar. With a bigger budget and proof from the trailer, a nomination would not be unexpected.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Game Night

Premise: From IMDb: “A group of friends who meet regularly for game nights find themselves trying to solve a murder mystery.”
Box Office Prospects: $100 M
Expectations: Uncertain. I’m putting this on the high end, but it could be a bit of a flop if people don’t find it that funny. However, it’s an original premise, which should carry it fairly well.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.